


Back to the Start (Just to Fall Apart Again)

by astralluna



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Assimilation, Character Study, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Issues, M/M, Memories, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reconciliation, Time Travel, Unresolved Emotional Tension, breakdowns, road to recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:41:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21602401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astralluna/pseuds/astralluna
Summary: Okay, so maybe there were some things that still troubled Sun from his past. Maybe he wasn’t completely open and honest about them with himself or with others. Maybe he still has problems and issues he needs to work on. Maybe he should let his defenses down and allow others to pick him up and piece him back together again. Sun understands this, but did he really need to be thrown seven years back into a different dimension for him to learn his lesson?The universe thinks so.---18 year old Sun is suddenly thrown into an alternate timeline where he’s eleven years old again and about to start his Pokemon journey for the first time. Now Sun is forced to save Alola all over again with a new team, old yet seemingly different companions, and coming face to face with some demons he wished had stayed in the past.
Relationships: Burnet-hakase | Professor Burnet/Kukui-hakase | Professor Kukui, Gladio | Gladion & Hau, Gladio | Gladion & Hau & Sun (Pokemon), Gladio | Gladion & Sun (Pokemon), Gladio | Gladion/Hau, Hau & Sun (Pokemon), Lilie | Lillie & You | Elio, Lillie/Sun (Pokemon), Moon & Sun (Pokemon), Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red, Sun (Pokemon) & Kukui-hakase | Professor Kukui
Comments: 56
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> I've had this idea for a VERY long time, but couldn't muster up the motivation to actually write it. Now I have, so here we are! This is just basically a "how would it be if the Sun protag was sent into the ultra timeline and had to face everything all over again, with some differences."
> 
> I decided to give Sun the teams I had for Sun & Ultra Sun just to make it easy on me, so I hope that doesn't bother anyone too much. This is also my first Pokemon fic, so I hope you all enjoy!

Sun woke up with light shining on his face and instantly knew something was wrong.

Dark eyes slowly revealed themselves from under heavy lids, struggling to remain open and fighting through a haze of bright lights and blurred surroundings. His head felt as though it was being weighed down by lead. Sun tried to move, but his body felt boneless, as light as though he were floating on a cloud. It was comforting. Though his mind was riddled with disorientation, his body felt the most at ease he had felt in years. 

That was his second indication that something was wrong. 

The trainer struggled to get up once his eyes finally decided to adjust. The first thing he noticed was the white ceiling above him. Which couldn’t have been right because he distinctly remembered falling asleep at his desk while going through the mountain load of research notes Professor Kukui had asked him to look over. He expected to wake up with an aching back and a smile of relief at the completed task. What he did not expect was to wake up with a brain filled with cotton and what felt like years of age and experience lifted off his body. 

The third thing that confirmed the wrongness of everything was when he saw the room he was in and the reflection staring back at him from the mirror across the room. 

If you had asked Sun what was going through his mind during that moment, he would have said absolutely nothing because in that moment all functions in his brained ceased to work. If you had asked him how he felt during that moment, he could have strung together a million different emotions in a million different ways, and it still would not have been able to capture the whirlwind of confusion and shock and dread that was coursing through his veins and freezing his nerves down to his bones. 

Because of all the wildest things that could have happened to him, waking up in his childhood room with a younger version of himself staring back at him was  _ never  _ something Sun thought could have been possible. 

People have always complimented Sun on being level-headed and his ability to remain calm, even during dire situations. So when he manages to stagger himself into a standing position, he approaches the mirror with all the ease and grace of a Machamp barreling down an icy slope atop Mount Lanakila at mach four. 

He stares and stares, and still couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was seeing. The reflection staring back at him was that of a younger  _ him _ . His hairstyle and clothes were different, but other than that there was no mistaking it. He was practically radiating with youthful exuberance, all childlike features and shining eyes, with none of the wear and tear of an eighteen year old trainer and assistant. 

Sun could feel the dregs of panic begin to slowly build up within him as he turned around to survey his not-so similar room. He might as well have woken up in a stranger’s bedroom. The furniture, decorations, all of that was different. The fundamental layout seemed to be the same, at least. The ditto shaped bean bag with all of Meowth’s scratches was still in the far corner of his room next to the door. He went over to his desk and found the journal his father had given him. His passport, along with his other belongings, all appeared to be in the same spot he remembered them being. 

Except he had moved all of his personal belonging to Kukui’s house shortly after turning sixteen. He spent so much of his time there that Kukui finally convinced him to just move in with him. Everything of importance to him should be in his room over there and not here. 

The ink of the Alolan Stamp is still fresh on his passport, which still retained the old photo of him. Sun had gotten his passport renewed when he had traveled to Kalos and Unova to study abroad. He remembers Gladion teasing him about how it was high time he updated his ID, unless he wanted the entire world to continue seeing him as an eleven year old kid. 

The memory made him pause. 

Eleven. That’s how old he was when he first came to Alola. That’s how old he was when he first got his passport, and that’s how old that kid in the mirror’s reflection looks when he stares back at Sun and Sun can’t-

How is he suddenly  _ eleven years old again _ ? How in the ever-loving Arceus is that even  _ possible _ -

He scans his passport over again and feels his heart drop to the pit of his stomach at seeing the name printed on it.

_ Ray _ .

A plethora of emotions explode within him as his mind goes into hyper-drive. His name wasn’t  _ Ray _ . Ray was the name his father wanted for him, while his mother wanted to name him Elio. In the end, they both settled on Sun. His name was  _ Sun _ . 

He quickly exits the room, feels his heartbeat galloping like a Rapidash with every step he takes. He jerks to a stop and takes a good look around. There were subtle changes to the living room and dining area, but overall it seemed to be more or less the same. The numerous piles of boxes that took his mother literal  _ years  _ to finally unpack were once again strewn everywhere around the house. Sun nearly fell to the floor in dread at the mere thought of having to unpack those boxes all over again. 

He decides not to waste anymore time looking around and heads straight for their outdoor porch, knowing that’s exactly where his mom will be. Sure enough, there she was basking in the Alolan sunlight, Meowth ever by her side. She still looks the same as ever. His mother always did manage to retain her well-aged appearance. Just the sight of her was enough to ease the heavy weight in his chest, even if only a little. 

“Ahhh! Can’t you just feel that warmth?” his mother exclaims, stretching her arms above her with a smile on her face. “The first day spent under Alola’s sun!” 

Usually, seeing his mother bask in delight at her favorite morning routine would at least be enough to make him smile. But the heavy sense of disorientation mixed with spiking bewilderment wasn’t doing him any favors. Not to mention the words “first day” rang loudly in his ears. 

Meowth is the first to notice him, meowing at him in pure affection. This ends up drawing his mother’s attention. 

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were up. Did you sleep well?” She walks towards him, and Sun is too overwhelmed to move, let alone say anything. He doesn’t know what to say or what would be the best move to make. He settles for simply nodding, thanking his lucky stars for his signature quiet nature. 

“Well, you were out like a light. You ought to be full of energy by now!” Even though he did feel rested, he wouldn’t go so far as to say he was bounding with energy. The thick veil of deja vu and utter surrealness of everything is probably what’s throwing him for a loop. 

“And it’s already daytime here!” his mother continues, oblivious to his rising concern. “It’s so different from Kanto. Then again, we are very far away here in Alola.” 

He’s taken aback by the sudden nostalgic ache that assaults him at hearing Kanto. There were days where he still reminisces about his life there, but those were few and far between. He had grown comfortable and accustomed to his life here in Alola. 

But  _ Arceus _ , hearing Kanto now filled him with such longing he could barely stand. His life before moving here felt like a dream. Like Kanto was another world altogether. Even when his mother had brought up the idea of going back to pay a visit- _ take a trip down memory lane _ , as she stated-he declined. Alola was his home now. After all this time, after...Sun can feel his jaw tighten. It didn’t matter. There was nothing left for him in Kanto anymore. It was all in the past. 

Accept here it wasn’t in the past. Here, Kanto was  _ yesterday _ and Alola is the new frontier for them today. 

Sun wants nothing more than to believe that this was all some kind of weird dream he’ll eventually wake up from, or that maybe he was hit with some type of hallucination caused by a Pokemon that’s forcing him to relive his first move to Alola. However, that hope is slowly being crushed by every word that leaves his mother’s mouth because Sun has heard those words before close to seven years ago, and after all of the crazy inexplicable things he’s witnessed in his life-

“Sweetheart?” 

Sun is immediately brought back to reality. He turns and sees his mother looking at him with a concerned expression. “Are you alright?”

Sun clears his throat, wondering when it suddenly became so dry. He still doesn’t trust himself to speak, so he simply nods in response. 

That seemed to be enough to ease her worries. “I was just about to say that it might not be a bad idea to go out and see for yourself just how friendly Pokemon are here in Alola.”

The thought of finally getting out of here was enough to have him bolting for the door. Maybe some fresh air is what he needs to get his head on straight. He doesn’t wait for his mom to tell him to go collect his hat and bag. 

Sun wasn’t known to be a theatrical person, but seeing a different hat and bag hanging on his coat stand nearly brought him to tears. Fate must truly be amusing itself with the suffering it was inflicting upon the poor trainer. 

He puts the hat on regardless and adjusts the bag behind him. He takes a moment to examine his room one more time, surprise lighting his features at the framed autograph of a Kantonian gym leader’s signature. He never got a signature from any gym leader, let alone one from his old childhood region. He just wasn’t the type of person to ask for autographs, and no gym leader came to mind that he was particularly close to. Maybe Lt. Surge?

He places the framed autograph down and shakes his head. He just needs to go outside and get some fresh air where he can collect himself and figure out what exactly had happened to him.

His mother is laughing with Meowth when as he steps out of his room. She turns to him with a bright smile, saying that he’s all ready to go. She advises him to be careful and steer clear of the tall grass areas and head towards Iki Town before wishing him the best of luck. 

Of course he wouldn’t have any of his Pokemon with him, but the realization still sets him on edge. As if he didn’t feel exposed and vulnerable enough already.

Stepping out into the Alolan sunlight and fresh daytime breeze instantly calms his fraying nerves. He takes several deep breaths, reveling in the sensation of cool air filling his lungs. The dull throb of his headache begins to ease up gradually, but his thoughts are still in disarray. 

The chirping of Pikipeks was like music to his ears. He thinks of his Toucannon and instantly feels that hollow sensation return. 

Sun takes this moment to look around. The roads, the nature, the sky, everything looks and feels exactly the same. Everything except his house apparently. When Sun turns, he’s surprised by how different his house looks. For starters, the color and vegetation out front is different. Though, the more he looks at it, the more he begins to like it. Honestly, he has been complaining forever for his mother to repaint their house, but she always just blows it off saying it was fine the way it was. If he’s glad for any change, it would be this. 

Then his eyes land on the open garage and the red car parked within. He jogs over towards it, and places his hand on it. Something about this car was familiar. Where had he seen it before?

He has to dig long and hard, but eventually he remembers. This was his father’s car. It’s been so long, Sun had almost forgotten. His father would use this car when he commuted to Saffron City everyday for work when Sun was really young. He had sold it not too long afterwards, so Sun barely had any memory of it. Although, he does remember the time they all took a family trip to Vermilion City to catch the S.S. Anne setting sail. He remembers the sheer excitement on Moon’s face when she-

Time slams to a stop around Sun; his heart lodged in his throat. 

Arceus above,  _ Moon _ .

Sun races back into his house, throwing the door open with more force than he intended but couldn’t find it within him to care because  _ how could he have not noticed _ ?

He searches the entire house with all the unhinged desperation of a Magikarp out of water. He goes into his mother’s room-which is also  _ Moon’s  _ room-because Moon ended up sharing a room with their mother since they could only afford a house with two bedrooms, but upon entering he was greeted with the sight of only a single large bed. 

The panic he thought had smoldered quickly began sparking back up with a vengeance. There were supposed to be two beds in this room, both up against a wall on either side. He remembers getting into a long, drawn out argument with Moon about who was going to get the other room all to themselves-the very idea of sharing was quickly thrown out the window before it could even take root. He can’t even remember what was said during the argument, only that he had come out the victor and Moon was forced to room with their mother. 

The sound of Meowth’s call has him turning around. The cat Pokemon looks at him in wonder, licking its paw before cleaning its face. 

He maneuvers past Meowth and goes to search for his mother. Moon had to be somewhere around, right? Where could she possibly be other than here?

He meets her coming back in from the outdoor porch. Her expression morphs into one of shock at seeing him back so early. “Sweetheart, you’re back so soon? How was-?”

“Where’s Moon?”

He thanks whoever there is to thank that his voice comes out steady, but to Sun it might as well have been torn right out of him. He has to take a deep breath to calm himself down because the last thing he needs is a million different dreadful thoughts racing through his mind. 

His mother’s brows narrow in confusion, which only adds to the trainer’s growing anxiety. “Who’s Moon?”

Sun has to count to ten to keep his emotions at bay. Now was not the time to freak out. His ability to stay calm and rational during tense situations is what has gotten him through some of the toughest moments of his life. This was no different. 

He thinks back to the passport sitting in a drawer on his desk. Remembers the name Ray printed on it. If he has the name his father chose for him, then the same must apply to Moon as well. He allows himself a second to compose himself before amending his previous question. “Where’s Ailey?” 

If he thought his mother’s previous expression scared him, then there was no way to prepare him for what her next expression became. Confusion changing to realization before finally drawing down into a look resembling...sorrow?

“Oh, Ray,”-his fingers twitch at the name-”I know you miss her, and it’s going to be hard living without her, but your father and I agreed that this arrangement would be the best for the both of you,” she finishes saying. 

He has to swallow pass a Graveler sized lump in his throat to even begin figuring out just how he was going to respond to  _ that _ . What was his mother even saying? Why did she look so sorrowful and what was this arrangement his parents agreed upon?

“Is she okay?” Sun asks because above all else, he needs to know that his sister is at least safe. Safe from what exactly, he doesn’t know. 

His mother graces him with a small smile. “She’s fine. Upset she couldn’t be the one to visit Alola, but with her condition, it would be best if she stays in Kanto with your father.” She leans down and gently cups his face with her hand, the loving gesture clashing violently with alarms blaring in his mind telling him to run away. “I’m sorry we had to separate the two of you, but I promise it won’t be permanent. She’ll be better in no time and then we can all be together.”

She places a light kiss on his forehead before straightening back up. She places her hands on her hips and flashes him another one of your blinding smiles. “Now, get back out there and explore the wonderful world of Alola!”

The world of Alola was spinning too fast for him, and all Sun wanted to do was lie down while also being as far away from this strange house that didn’t have his beloved little sister in it as he possibly could. 

He doesn’t bother nodding. He just runs out the door and keeps running. 

***

Sun doesn’t know exactly where he’s running too. All he knows is that he nearly runs straight through the tall grass on Route 1, but stops himself last minute. Normally, the tall grass here wouldn’t pose any kind of danger to him, but considering he was quite literally back to being a child again-and without any Pokemon to boot-it would be best if he just stayed clear from them for now. 

Although, he does remember reading an article detailing sneaking methods trainers from the Hoenn region would use to sneak past Pokemon in the tall grass without alerting them to their presence. Even without any Pokemon, maybe he could-

His train of thought is interrupted when a wild Yungoos comes racing out of the tall grass. Its sudden appearance catches him by surprise, causing his brain to stall and freezing him in his tracks. The wild Yungoos creeps closer towards him, and even though he knows how to handle situations like this, has done this a thousand times over, for some reason Sun couldn’t bring himself to move in that moment. 

In the end, he didn’t have to do anything. Just as the wild Yungoos was about to attack, Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio suddenly dash right in front of him and scare the Pokemon off. The three starters cheer in celebration, voicing ringing towards the sky, before turning towards him. 

Once again, Sun finds himself caught off guard but it doesn’t take him long to recover from the surprise this time. He looks down at the three Alolan starters, a warmth washing over him. Seeing their charming, excited forms make his lips quirk up into a light smile. There was something about these precious Pokemon that never failed to make Sun feel happy, especially Litten. He remembers those fond times he first received his starter, and watching it evolve into the mighty Incineroar. 

“Hey there, cousin!”

Sun turns to find professor Kukui himself waving at him. He can’t even begin to describe the relief coursing through him at seeing his mentor. Surely Kukui would realize something was wrong, right? Maybe he’s also found himself trapped in what Sun can only describe as the past and needs his help getting back. Wherever that may be. 

He has nothing else to lose at this point. Even if Kukui- _ this  _ Kukui-doesn’t know what has happened to him, he might still be able to assist Sun in figuring it out. 

He runs up to the professor. Kukui flashes him a smile before his eyes widen. “Hang on, I know you…” he begins to say, and Sun can practically feel himself vibrate with hope. Please, for the love of all legendaries, please let this be the professor Kukui he knows. Please let this be the same one. 

“You’re Ray, right?!” he exclaims, crushing any hope the trainer had with such brutality that he might as well have used a crushing Z-Move specifically designed to ruin him. 

Kukui begins talking again without waiting for a reply. “You okay? I saw you get attacked like that!”

His mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. He needs to get a grip on himself. Otherwise, he’ll be no closer in figuring this mystery out. He pushes down the feeling of disappointment before mustering up the strength to answer. “Y-yeah, I got a bit of help.” 

Kukui laughs at this. “Looks like you did! Though I sure didn’t expect that, yeah…” He trails off as his gaze redirects towards the starters. “I didn’t think these little fellows would dash out on their own to help save a stranger.”

Then he shakes his head, as though mentally chiding himself. “What am I doing? I’m getting ahead of myself again.” He looks back at the trainer. “Welcome to Alola, the Pokemon paradise! I’m Kukui, yeah. The Pokemon professor.”

It’s so weird having Kukui introduce himself to Sun, as though he were a total stranger and not someone who has worked alongside him for literal years now. Making many new discoveries together and traveling to all sorts of different places, giving speeches on their research and uncovering hidden mysteries. He remembers how he would sometimes be present with Kukui as the laid-back professor introduced himself to new trainers and handed out their very own starter Pokemon to them. 

The flood of deja vu was beginning to become too much for him. He had to keep reminding himself that he was in the past now, even if he still couldn’t fully understand how or why he thought that. What other explanation could there possibly be though? After everything he’s witnessed so far, it was the only conclusion that sounded logical to him at the moment. Even if he still doesn’t know how that’s even possible. 

He’s brought back from his thoughts when the Alolan starters run up to him, their playful sounds loud and cheerful. He looks down at them circling around him as Kukui says, “You can go anywhere, so long as you have a partner Pokemon of your own. They make dealing with wild Pokemon hiding in the tall grass much easier!”

Kukui’s words don’t register in his mind until he has the starter Pokemon lining up in front of the trainer and begins to introduce them. He can’t stop his eyebrows from rising in surprised when he’s asked to pick one of the starters. 

“You want me to pick one?” he asks, probably looking as dumb as he sounds. 

But Kukui just laughs and says, “Of course! Every trainer needs their own special partner by their side to help them on their journey. You can’t be a Pokemon trainer without a Pokemon!” 

Sun slowly turns back towards the starters, who are all waiting patiently for his choice. Well, this was certain...different. “We’re not going to have a ceremony with Kahuna Hala at Iki Town first?”

“O-ho! So, you already know about Kahuna Hala?” Kukui asks, before holding his chin and furrowing his brows in thought. “A ceremony, yeah? It’s true we used to have a traditional ceremony where the Kahuna would honor a trainer choosing their partner before beginning their journey, but we decided to stop that and just gave kids their Pokemon so they could start their journey sooner.” Kukui pinned him with a curious gaze. “That was a long time ago, cousin. How do you even know about that?”

_ Because that’s how I was given my starter _ , Sun thinks but doesn’t say. He just waves it off by stating that he heard it from one of the locals. Sun does see the convenience in allowing trainers to obtain their starter Pokemon sooner, but he still enjoyed the ceremony nevertheless. He always thought it made the bond between trainer and Pokemon appear stronger. 

“Go on and choose the one you’d like to keep as your partner, cousin!” Kukui says. 

Sun takes his time just admiring each individual starter, but his eyes inevitably lands on Litten and stays on it longer. That nostalgic pang in his heart seems to ring just a little bit louder when he looks into Litten’s eyes and sees his Incineroar grinning back at him, all fiery passion and boastful strength. Remembers when he first held him when he was just a small Litten in his hands and felt an unwavering bond form between them. A promise made to one another in fire and light; a promise to always remain by each other’s side no matter what. 

Now Sun finds himself thrust back seven years into the past without his faithful partner by his side. Finds himself as an eleven year old boy that has just moved to the dazzling new Alola, and is about to start his Pokemon journey for the very first time. 

Ever since he woke up, Sun hasn’t been given a chance to just sit down and collect his thoughts and judging by how his day had gone so far, he likely won’t be given that chance for a good long while. And Kukui is right about one thing. He’ll need a Pokemon by his side if he wishes to traverse the tall grasses without problem. 

He wants to pick Litten, but no matter how hard he tries, the words remain embedded on his tongue and refuse to leave. Because no matter how many Littens professor Kukui shows him, even if he were to have him pick among a thousand Littens, the fact of the matter is that not a single one of those fire starters would be the same as  _ his  _ starter. 

His eyes drift over towards the right at Popplio, and he can’t help but smile as he thinks of Moon. Being a year younger than him, she had to wait before she could start her Pokemon journey. But once she turned eleven, she wasted no time picking her starter. 

She had chosen Popplio. She was absolutely smittened by its cuteness and charm, claiming the type advantage she would have against his by then fully evolved Incineroar was just a bonus. Even if Sun doesn’t know the full reason for Moon not being with him here in Alola now, doesn’t know what condition she apparently has that keeps her in Kanto separated from him, he realizes he can still keep a part of her with him right now.

He chooses Popplio, causing the Pokemon to do a backflip in happiness. Professor Kukui smiles in approval. “Popplio is a hard worker and makes some pretty awesome balloons. I just know the two of you are perfect for each other.”

Popplio bounds over towards its new trainer. Sun picks his new partner up and raises it high in the air, joyous at the thought of being able to replicate the ceremony in his own small way. Popplio wiggles and cheers in joy, and Sun finally feels the heavy ache in his chest begin to ebb away. Feels a bond begin to form in its place instead. 

Pokemon have always been there for him when he needed someone to pick him back up. It’s no surprise Popplio would be the one to give him some hope in this scary predicament he’s found himself in. 

“You’re officially a Pokemon trainer! Congrats, cousin!” Kukui states proudly, as he hands Sun a pokeball to place Popplio inside. “Now, let’s get going to Iki Town. Time for you to meet the Island Kahuna!”

The professor seems to remember Sun mentioning the Kahuna earlier because he asks the trainer, “You’ve already heard about the Kahuna, haven’t you cousin?”

Sun nods. It’s not even a lie, since he already knows both Kahuna Hala and the one who will eventually take his place after he retires. 

“Then that saves me the time of explaining,” Kukui responds. “You see that Popplio is actually a gift from the Kahuna, not me. So, let’s go say a proper thank you. It may not be the only gift you get from him!”

Kukui turns, and begins heading in the direction of Iki Town. Sun places Popplio inside its pokeball and runs to catch up with him, hoping he’ll eventually get some time to figure what he plans to do next. 


	2. Chapter 2

He’s told to make his way to Iki Town by himself, which he’s fine with. He’s traversed these same roads so many times he can do it with his eyes closed. It also grants him some alone time, which he’s thankful for. He runs up farther through the tall grass, encountering a Yungoos on the way. There was just something about seeing Popplio win its first battle that filled him with satisfaction. He’s helped out professor Kukui and other fledgling trainers train their Pokemon before, but going through a fresh start with a new starter wasn’t as tedious as he thought it would be. 

There was an opening on his right where he could lean up against a palm and gaze out towards the sparkling ocean. He decides to take this brief lapse in events fate has granted him, and goes to sit with his back against the tree. He lets Popplio out of its pokeball, and can't help but laugh when it jumps onto his lap and starts playing with him. 

He holds Popplio close to him and closes his eyes. He takes a deep, calming breath and allows his Pokemon to ground him in place. He thinks of Moon as he softly pets Popplio and feels the tension in his body finally give way. Popplio, not knowing what was going on but wanting to help in any way it could, snuggles closer to its trainer. For all of the thoughts and emotions going through him in at that moment, Sun is just glad he doesn’t have to go through it alone. 

He reaches for his bag, making sure not to jolt Popplio around too much, and searches for something to write on. Thankfully, he finds a small notepad and pen. He has to place Popplio beside him in order to write down everything he’s experience, starting with the last thing he remembers and working his way to now. 

**_Gladion called me. Said he wanted to show me something_ ** _.  _ Sun begins to write.  **_I was working on a research paper on the Theory of Regional Evolutions. Went to Aether. Gladion showed me plans to build new Poke Pelagos. Something about eventually getting rid of PC boxes for good?_ **

Sun frowns, having a hard time remembering the specifics of his last conversation with Gladion. As the new head of Aether Foundation, officially taking over after Lusamine stepped down, Gladion completely revolutionized the foundation to new heights, with resources and aid spanning the world over, in just a few years. He was an absolute genius, creating new and even greater inventions faster than ever before. Once he got going, it became hard to keep up with him at times. 

He restored the Aether Foundation name and reputation, and dedicated his life in the rescue, restoration, and reservation of loss or abandoned Pokemon. He also paired up with his no longer long lost father Mohn, and helped expand Poke Pelagos to compensate for an even greater amount of Pokemon. He dreams to one day create a system of Poke Pelagos, or institutions that can replicate the atmosphere and freedom that Poke Pelagos create for Pokemon, across every region and ultimately get rid of the notion of trapping Pokemon inside PC boxes for good. A sort of last request he wishes to fulfill in his mother’s stead. 

Speaking of Lusamine…

Sun’s hand clenched tighter around the pen. Thinking of Lusamine means he has to think about Lillie, and everything that comes with  _ that _ . Popplio no doubts senses its trainer’s unease, as it begins to nestle closer to him in show of comfort and support. His hand strokes over Popplio’s smooth skin, once again using his new partner as a center of gravity to keep from being lost to the aching pain flaring up inside of him. 

Pain caused by simply thinking about Lillie because everything about the girl he once knew brings nothing but sadness and ache. Every memory of her, of their journey together, of her leaving and rarely coming back, every letter he’d receive from her as they tried their best to remain in contact with one another. 

Of her and Lusamine simply vanishing without a trace two years ago and not being heard of since. 

He remembers that moment with perfect clarity, as though it were yesterday. He remembers getting a call from Hau telling him to get to Aether as fast as possible. Remembers the bone chilling fear that overcame him at hearing Hau’s strained voice and the words  _ It’s Lillie _ . Remembers busting his way through Aether’s door and seeing Gladion on the floor, Silvally guarding over its trainer and snarling at anyone who dared come close, its own hackles raised in distress at seeing Gladion so broken. 

Gladion was finally able to get enough semblance of himself to calm Silvally down, and allow for Hau and him to get close. It was then he told them that Lillie and Lusamine have been reported missing from their home in Viridian, the local neighbors stating they haven’t seen the mother or daughter in about a week’s time. 

Sun immediately booked a flight to Kanto the next morning. It was the first time he returned to his childhood region in years. 

Every report from every person he questioned said the same thing. That neither Lusamine or Lillie were seen leaving their house or taking off somewhere. It was as if they entered their house and vanished from within. There were no signs of a break-in or struggle. All of their belongings were untouched, with no signs of tampering. The last person to have spoken with them was an old lady that lived a few houses down, and she said she saw Lillie coming back from the PokeMart with a bag of supplies in her hand. Lillie had greeted her before entering her home. 

After that, no one had seen the two around town or anywhere else for that matter. The old lady found this unusual because Lillie would often come to help her tend to her garden. After not seeing Lillie for a few days, she went over to their house but no one answered the door. She tried calling, but again no one answered. It wasn’t until a week had gone by, and the other neighbors began to worry, that the police were contacted. 

Sun even contacted Gym Leader Blue of the Viridian Gym to see if he knew anything the others wouldn’t be privy to. He just gave the assistant a grim look, and said he called his grandfather to see if he could come inspect their house for any potential residue left behind that could connect back to a Pokemon. Blue said that, for all they know, a ghost Pokemon could have caused their disappearance. There were so many unknown Pokemon with unknown abilities out there. The possibility couldn’t be ruled out.

He told Sun that if he finds anything out, he’ll be the first one to know. But for now, it would be best if he returned to Alola, since there wasn’t much he could do here. Sun wanted to argue, but Blue was right. Even Nebby had searched everywhere and couldn’t find traces of Lillie or Lusamine. The trainer had never seen the great legendary mourn so painfully as it did then. 

It’s been two years since, and Blue tells him the authorities are ready to call the case dead. 

He’s pulled from his thoughts when Popplio suddenly jumps back into his lap, knocking the notepad to the ground. Sun doesn’t realize a few tears have fallen until Popplio begins licking them off. He wraps his arms, his small, fragile arms, around his partner and begins taking deep breaths again. He’s usually good at keeping his emotions in check, but eleven year old him isn’t. Kids feel emotions more intensely than adults, and that’s really starting to hit him in this moment as he tries to get his breathing under control and stop himself from having a panic attack out here in the open. 

After what feels like an eternity, Sun is finally able to calm down. He praises Popplio for being such a great friend, giving his Pokemon one last squeeze before reaching down to pick up the notepad. He contemplates whether to add more, but ultimately decides against it. He suddenly feels drained and doesn’t want to deal with those memories right now. 

He stands up, placing the pen and notepad back into his bag before flinging it over his shoulders. Popplio calls out to him. Sun pets his starter on the head before returning it to its pokeball. 

He jogs the rest of the way to Iki Town. However, before he reaches the steps, an absolute rush of joy floods through him as he sees none other than Hau race down the steps towards him. Seeing his mother and professor Kukui didn’t really cement the reality of his situation, but seeing Hau so young again with his naturally infinite reservoir of energy, Sun could no longer deny it. 

The smile spreading across his face was all too natural, as was the case whenever it came to Hau and his contagious free spirit. It makes the trainer happy to know his friendly rival never loses what makes him so likable and bright. 

“Hey, hey!” Hau greets excitedly, starting up a conversation straight away. “Have you decided which Pokemon you’re gonna choose as your partner?” Then he seems to remember the proper way to greet someone he’s never met before, because this Hau has technically never met Sun until now, and states with a flashy grin and and arms behind his head, “Oh, yeah. I’m Hau!”

He knows it really hasn’t been long since he’s seen the Hau he knows, but just the sight of his best friend has made him realize just how much he missed him and really needed to see him again. He’s always felt better after talking with Hau, and after the rough aftermath of dealing with his memories about Lillie, seeing his rival again is exactly the hopeful spirit he needs right now. 

Hau continues talking about how impatient he was becoming, and how he simply couldn’t wait to pick out a starter with him. It made Sun feel a bit guilty having already picked his starter without Hau. How could he have forgotten that he and Hau did in fact choose their starters together during Hala’s ceremony before?

He lets Popplio free from its pokeball, guilty feeling ever present as Hau shows his shock at seeing his starter. 

“Sorry about that Hau,” Professor Kukui’s voice picks up from behind them. Both young trainers turn as he explains the situation from earlier. Hau is naturally fine with it and wastes no time picking Litten as his starter. 

Sun doesn’t know how to describe the feeling that swells up within him as he watches Litten run up to Hau. It’s not jealousy or envy; Sun is by no means egotistic or scornful. However, he can’t deny the speck of longing he feels at seeing Hau shower his fire starter with affection. There will always be a part of him that yearns for Incineroar, but he’s proud to admit that twinge of sadness is without a doubt overshadowed by the feeling of pride. He knows Hau is the best possible person for Litten and vice versa. 

It also comes as no surprise when Hau asks him to be his opponent for their very first Pokemon battle. Sun readily agrees, a spark beginning to ignite that he hasn’t felt in a long time. He’s fought Hau countless times. Knows his strategies like he knows the back of his hand. Memories of their official first battle all the way up to their battle for the Championship title flashed through his mind. Maybe a battle is what he needs to get himself fired up and feel better. 

The battle doesn’t last long, with Sun coming out the victor. He wonders if it could be considered cheating, since he has years of Pokemon experience under his belt whereas this Hau has none. He always found it odd that Hau chose a starter with a type disadvantage to his own both times, but he supposes that just commends to his rival’s gentle nature. Whereas other rivals will choose a starter that will have an advantage against another trainer’s, Hau picks his Pokemon based on compassion and sincerity. 

Hau isn’t even fazed by the loss. He just jumps in joy and states he had a great time battling Sun. That’s another aspect of Hau he always found endearing. Hau usually battled purely for enjoyment, regardless if that battle ends with him losing or winning. He just sees it as an incentive to keep pushing onward and keep getting stronger. That’s a mindset Sun admires greatly. 

Kukui commends them both for an excellent battle. With all of that out of the way, the three of them finally journey up the last remaining steps and enter Iki Town. 

***

Sun had come to love the familial, welcoming atmosphere of Iki Town. He enjoyed watching young children and future generation of trainers run around playing and overall having a good time. He admired the culture and deep-seated traditions woven into the very fabric of the people and structures of the houses. The sense of nature and warmth that surrounds him as he enters. 

He has numerous fond memories connecting him to this peaceful town. For starters, this was where his Pokemon journey truly began. He remembers Hala sending him off with both praise and protection. Him and Hau racing out into the vast open world, unable to contain their excitement for the adventure that lay ahead. He remembers all of the festivals and activities he would bring his mother to, watching her mingle with the other villagers. All of the long, tiresome days Hau and him would return from only to immediately get swept away by the local children wanting to play with them. 

He remembers his and Hau’s teams coming out of their pokeballs and playing with one another. He remembers helping Hala in mentoring some of the young trainers who simply couldn’t wait to begin their own adventures. He remembers that no matter what, he could always count on Hau to greet him with a blinding grin and loads of Malasada to stuff their stomachs with. 

Once again, he’s brought back from his thoughts as Kukui begins describing the town and its people, and how it’s also a place where folks come to worship the Pokemon that watches over Melemele Island, Tapu Koko. Sun would feel rude if he were to mention the fact that he already knew all of this, so he stays quiet and lets Kukui explain. 

It’s only after he’s done explaining that Kukui notices the absence of Kahuna Hala. Hau explains that Hala left go take care of something before stating he was going to go home and show off his newly acquired Litten. 

Sun watches his rival race off without another word, already missing his presence. He knows it won’t be long until he sees him again. Their journey has only just begun-again for him, in this case. 

Now that he thinks about it, now might be a good time to speak with Kukui about his peculiar predicament. Hopefully the older man doesn’t think Sun has gone and lost his marbles or something. If talking to Kukui lends another step towards finding a way back to his time, then it’ll be worth being called crazy for it. 

“Hey, Professor-”

“-Say Ray,” Kukui cuts him off, and Sun doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to being called by that name. “Since the Kahuna is out, why don’t you head through the village and up that hill. You can visit the ruins that belong to Tapu Koko.”

Sun closes his mouth, struggling with what to say next. He can go see the ruins and Tapu Koko at anytime. Talking with the professor is more important right now.

But Kukui seems to be adamant that Sun go see it. “Come on, it’s a sight to behold cousin! Go introduce yourself to our island’s deity, yeah!”

He knows it’s meaningless to try to sway Kukui once he’s made up his mind about something. Years of working with the man can attest to that. Reluctantly accepting, Sun bids him farewell and begins making his way up towards the ruins. 

***

The trainer doesn’t go up to the ruins right away. Instead, he sits down on the first steps leading up and pulls out his pen and notepad again. He releases Popplio from its pokeball, and the starter wastes no time saddling up against him. This time, he decides to start off with jotting down some basic information. 

**_My name is Sun. Eighteen years old. Former ex-Champion of Alola. Currently working with Professor Kukui as his personal assistant and co-researcher. Area of expertise/study - Pokemon regional variants and adaptations in Alola, as well as possible other regions._ **

The headache he had waking up was pretty much gone by now. The haze of disorientation had lifted, though the veil of deja vu still remained. Sun guessed it wouldn’t go away for a long time. 

He was glad to note he still retained all his memories with great clarity. Regardless, he deems it best to record everything he knows as a fail safe in the off chance something unpredictable were to happen to him again, only this time he finds himself stranded at another point in time without any of his memories. 

He looks back to what he previously wrote, detailing exactly what transpired before he suddenly found himself waking up in the past. He went to the Aether Foundation because Gladion wanted to show him something and get his opinion on it. The conversation they had was long, but didn’t amount to anything of importance. He racks his brain hard, trying to remember exactly what could have occured that made him end up where he is now. 

_ Nebby _ . Sun immediately begins writing.  **_Nebby came back but something wasn’t right. Nebby was upset? Tense about something?_ ** He can’t figure out exactly how to describe it because he still can’t fully comprehend just what was affecting the legendary Pokemon. It wasn’t uncommon for Nebby to leave Sun to go do its own thing. It  _ is  _ the guardian legendary Pokemon of Alola, after all. But something about this moment set off an alarm inside Sun. He could sense something was bothering Solgaleo, but he couldn’t figure out what. 

It was rare for Nebby to ever appear agitated, especially when others were around. He tried to calm the Pokemon down. Tired to figure out what was wrong, so that he could help his companion. 

Suddenly, without warning, Nebby began crying out, like it was writhing in pain or anguish. Sun was completely baffled, having never seen his companion react in such a way. It hurt him down to his core, and he immediately ran to Nebby without precaution. 

**_Nebby lost control of its power. Wormhole opened up._ ** There was nothing Sun could do to stop himself from being dragged in by the wormhole’s gravitational force. All he could register was a blinding, white-hot light before…

Before he woke up here, as an eleven year old again.  **_Nebby sent me to the past?_ ** , Sun writes down, thoughts racing through his mind. He knew Solgaleo possessed the ability to open up wormholes similar to the Ultra Beasts, though the extent of how it operates and what purpose it serves still remains a mystery. It comes as no surprise, since not much was really known about the beast that devours the sun before he and Lillie were able to evolve it from Cosmog. 

He suspected the wormholes had the potentially to alter space and time, given how the Ultra Beasts first appeared and how where they exactly came from remains to be unknown. Professor Brunet still had her hands full researching them, but Sun has to admit they’ve come a long way in analyzing and understanding the Ultra Beasts and their nature. 

It’s not the fact that Nebby can create wormholes that have the ability to send people through time if they were to enter one that’s confusing. It’s the fact that Nebby, whether intentional or not, sent Sun back specifically seven years into the past. Why would the legendary to that? What had caused his faithful companion to lose control of its powers in such a way? 

Was Sun the only one who got sent back? The blast radiance of the wormhole was pretty large. Surely Gladion, who was only a few feet away, would have got caught up in the rift as well? If that were true, then that means he could also be somewhere around here in this time. 

It’s impossible for Sun to search for his friend, and even if he could, he has no idea where to start looking. For now, he’ll just have to wait until he runs into Gladion again. 

Maybe Nebby was the key for getting Sun back home. The trainer digs further back in his memories. The first time he met Nebby was when he met Lillie for the first time, but it was just a Cosmog then. If he has any hope of getting back, he’s going to need Solgaleo. He doesn’t know if professor Kukui or Kahuna Hala will allow him to just skip the rest of the islands and head straight for Poni Island and the Altar of the Sunne. 

Popplio barks to get his attention. Sun turns and sees his starter jumping up the steps heading up towards the ruins. It was getting restless by waiting around. Sun smiles at his partner, placing the notepad back into his bag before standing up. 

He turns his attention up the hill, and tries to remember what he’s meant to find up there. He sifts through seven years worth of memories before finally coming to heart-skipping conclusion. 

This is the moment he meets Lillie for the first time. 

It must be, if he’s remembering correctly. Lillie came to investigate Tapu Koko’ ruin in the hopes of finding some answers about Nebby. And now, after not knowing what had happened to her or where she had disappeared to, Sun was going to come face to face with his old friend for the first time in over two years. 

An onslaught of emotions were bubbling up within him, but Sun won’t back down. This was bound to happen sooner or later. He returns Popplio back to its pokeball, and sets his face in determination. 

He begins the climb up towards the ruins. 


	3. Chapter 3

No amount of preparation could have ever prepared Sun for this. 

Just before reaching the top, he’s graced with the presence of a young girl wearing a white hat and dress; a large duffel bag slung around her shoulders. The duffel bag kept jolting around, as if something inside it was begging to be released. The young placated whatever was in her bag as best she could, urging it not to come out in fear of being caught and punished. 

Sun felt as though an Alolan Ninetails had frozen his heart solid. His throat seared with burning emotion, and he once again cursed his younger self for not being able to control his chaotic emotions. 

Even knowing what to expect, even psyching himself up beforehand, could never have been enough for the reality Sun found himself confronted with to set in. Because seeing this young girl again-seeing  _ Lillie  _ again-was almost too much for his soul to take. 

He isn’t allowed the pleasure of wallowing in his disbelief, as Lillie continues onward towards the ruin, leaving Sun’s line of sight. A strong burst of fear instantly flooded his veins.  _ No!,  _ Sun’s thoughts screamed from within his mind.  _ Don’t leave again! _

He races up the remaining steps just in time to witness Cosmog, who was now free from Lillie’s bag, being attacked by wild Spearows in the middle of the bridge leading towards the ruins. 

In that single moment, it was almost as if Sun’s mind detached from his body and he was watching himself from an outside perspective. A flood of adrenaline surged through his body and pure instinct took control. He charged passed Lillie without a moment’s glance and immediately towards Cosmog, thinking of nothing except one word:  _ protect _ .

He did his best trying to shield Cosmog from the fury of the Spearows’ vicious attacks, sharp beaks and claws pecking and scratching his body. The distress Cosmog felt reached its peak, and in the next instant, an overwhelming explosion of power erupted from the Pokemon. The sheer force of the blast knocked the wind out of Sun and caused the plank bridge to collapse. 

Before he could even begin to comprehend what was happening, Sun found himself free falling with Cosmog tucked closely in his arms. It almost felt surreal, like once again he was having an out-of-body experience and watching everything from afar. The raging waters from below echoed distantly in his ear, and just as he was about to have an untimely acquaintance with the jagged rocks below, an electrifying light appeared and swooped down to rescue him. 

It was none other than Tapu Koko, guardian deity of Melemele Island, that had come to his rescue. It gently deposited both him and Cosmog safely back on the ground, and gazed upon him with a meaningful look. Sun knew what that look meant. There was an understanding-an acknowledgement-within those eyes, as well as respect. It wouldn’t last forever, as Tapu Koko gave one final cry before disappearing in a flash of electrifying brilliance. 

Time began to flow again, as Sun’s mind finally returned to earth. Cosmog jumped out of his arms, allowing the trainer to rise to his feet and dust off his clothes. His head was still spinning from the fall and whirlwind of events that just occurred, but after taking a steady breath, he was able to get his breathing and racing heart back under control. 

Only to have both of those things ripped and thrown out the metaphorical window when he turned around and saw light green eyes staring right back at him. 

There stood Lillie-young, beautiful, compassionate Lillie-looking at him with such heartfelt sincerity that it almost brought Sun to his knees. Everything about her, her unassuming innocence, her shy nature and eyes that held far too much sorrow and apprehension than any girl her age had any right to have, every detail and aspect about her made something within him spark to life. Made that hollow feeling he’s carried around since the day he learned of her disappearance suddenly vanish without a trace, along with those two whole years. Like they never happened or existed in the first place. 

Sun tried to open his mouth. Tried his hardest to say all the things he’s dreamed of saying to Lillie if he ever saw her again to come spilling out unrestrained. He wanted to tell her that Gladion, Hau, and him never stopped searching for her. That he spent every hour, every minute, working relentlessly day-in and day-out pouring over every scrap of evidence and clues that pertained to her missing person’s file, begging and praying to any deity out there to give him any kind of sign that his dearest friend was still out there somewhere. That no matter how bleak or hopeless it began looking, that he never lost hope of one day finding her. That no matter what, he never allowed himself to give up. 

He wanted to hold her and apologize to her for not being there when she needed him the most. For not being able to protect her like he promised he would always do. For not trying harder or doing more to ensure they stayed in contact better. For not being a better friend and so much more. 

It seemed the world decided to move on and leave Sun in the dust because after what must have been the tenth time, Lillie finally succeeded in regaining Sun’s attention. 

“Are you alright?” she asks in deep concern. Sun blinks, and it’s only then that he realizes a few stray tears have escaped and were streaming down his cheek. His quickly brings a hand up to wipe the tears away, too overwhelmed to even feel embarrassed by the uncalled for act. 

_ You're alive _ , appears in his mind like a dream.  _ You’re alive. That’s all that matters _ , a symphony in his soul. 

Lillie asked once again if he was okay. He nodded, still trying to swallow past the lump in his throat. The girl sighed in relief, thanking him for rescuing Nebby. “I’m...I’m Lillie,” she introduces shyly, before walking closer and handing him the sparkling stone Nebby found; the one dropped by Tapu Koko. Sun’s breath caught in his throat when she came near. He gently reached out to take the stone, and felt a current spark through him as their hands touched for the briefest of seconds. It was over in a heartbeat, but it was enough to calm the storm cloud within him. Lillie was alive. She was safe. 

“Please, don’t tell anyone about what you saw. About Nebby,” Lillie pleaded with him. “It’s...it’s a secret, okay?” Sun promised, which seemed to alleviate some tension from the young girl. She ordered Nebby back into her bag, though the Pokemon was reluctant to do so. 

Lillie turned and began walking back towards the steps leading back to the village before stopping. After some thought, she turns back around and looks at the trainer with a meek, yet uncertain expression. It hurt him to see Lillie so closely guarded and afraid of everyone and everything around her. She had made such phenomenal progress coming out of her timid shell and transforming herself into a brave, confident girl that seeing her like this made Sun want to do everything in his power to protect her. 

“I’m worried we might get attacked again by some wild Pokemon or...or something,” she begins softly. “I know it’s too much for me to ask it, but...do you think you could see us back to town?”

Sun agrees without hesitation. He conjures up a smile bright enough to rival his namesake, for once not having to force the gesture. Just as he had hoped, it was enough to set Lillie’s fears at ease. Even managing to get her to give him a tiny smile in return. 

They return to Iki Town together where they run into Kukui. He sends a smile their way, obvious relief in his expression at knowing his assistant-Lillie, not him-was okay. Their reunion is interrupted by the cheers of the townsfolk announcing the return of their Kahuna. 

It was great seeing Hala again. He doesn’t appear too different from the Hala he knows back in his time, albeit with slightly more hair and still donning the traditional Kahuna robe. Sun had nothing back great respect for the elder. He could always count on Hala’s renowned wisdom and gentle heart. Plus, he really knew how to tell a riveting story over a campfire. 

He approaches their small group, greeting each townsfolk as he passes. “There you lot are.” he says with a hearty grin. “Was it my imagination, or did I see Tapu Koko flying about?”

Lillie explains what had transpired to both Kukui and Hala. Both were clearly surprised by this, as although Tapu Koko is said to guard and protect, it’s rather fickle and rarely shows itself to anyone. Having it appear so suddenly and save both Sun and Nebby must have some significance to it. 

Hala rejoices, and states that this was just cause for celebration, which Kukui wholeheartedly agreed with. He commends Sun for already showing signs of being a promising trainer before properly introducing himself and welcoming him to Alola. Nebby seemed to also want to partake in all the fun, as it suddenly appeared out of its bag and gave a joyful cry. Lillie’s reprimand holds no weight to the Pokemon, but it does cause everyone around to laugh at the now commonly occurring antics of the two. 

It’s the first time Sun laughs in earnest since he woke up in the past. He’s not surprised at all that it was Lillie and Nebby who were able to pull such a genuine reaction from him. It honestly makes him feel good about himself. 

As everyone begins to settle down, Kukui takes this time to hand Sun a Pokedex. It settled in his hand with a comfortable weight to it. He had completed many Pokedexes in his time, so having to complete another one wasn’t something he would fret about. Though, he could probably for-go completing this one since he already knew every Pokemon in the Alola region by heart. 

The professor states that he was free to return home since he’s already become acquainted with the Kahuna. He’s stopped almost immediately by Hau calling out to him though. 

Seeing Hau standing next to Hala was like a small moment of clarity for Sun. He could clearly see the generations between them. The passing of the mantle from one member to another. He can see the transition of Hala stepping down from Kahuna and bestowing the title upon his grandson Hau. 

It may be seven years too early, but just from this one moment alone, he knows Hau was always destined to follow in Hala’s footsteps as the Island’s next Kahuna. 

During his conversation with his grandson, Hala somehow takes notice of the sparkling stone within Sun’s bag. He hands it over to the Kahuna when prompted, explaining how he had received it from Tapu Koko itself. 

“If that is true,” Hala begins, “perhaps you are here in Alola, Ray, because this is where you are meant to be.”

It was almost whiplash inducing how his new name so forcefully jars him out of his mindset, and once again places the heavy realization of his situation upon him. Just when he begins to feel some semblance of normal, stuff like this happens that throws him into disarray. 

But maybe Kahuna Hala was right, even if he didn’t exactly know to what extent he was referring to. Maybe Sun was brought back to this point in time in Alola because he’s meant to be here. He just has to figure out what exactly he’s meant to accomplish here. 

Hala reassures him that he’ll return the sparkling stone to him tomorrow evening. For now, Kukui insists on walking him safely back home. He asks Lillie to join them, stating how he wouldn’t want either her or Nebby to get lost again. 

Sun was surprised at how grateful he felt at finally being able to return back home. At first, he wanted nothing more than to be as far away from there as possible. Now, he felt this bone deep exhaustion and looked forward to crashing in his bed and sleeping the day away. 

After saying their goodbyes, the three of them begin the trek back to Sun’s home. 


	4. Chapter 4

Sun let Popplio out of its pokeball as soon as he entered his house. It was immediately greeted by his mother and her Mewoth, the latter warming up to his new companion in a heartbeat. Meowth never had any trouble getting along with any of the Pokemon he brought home, and seeing it cheer and help Popplio get comfortable in its new home made the trainer so thankful for his mother’s Pokemon. 

Speaking of his mother, she welcomes him back with a smile before coming over and greeting the new addition to their family. Popplio seemed to adore all the love and affection it was receiving. He can already envision his mother spoiling his Pokemon rotten, just like she did with Incineroar and his previous team. Sun can’t blame her though. He’s just as bad when it comes to his Pokemon and giving them anything they want as she is. 

“What a sweet little thing!” his mother says adoringly. She redirects her gaze back at him before speaking again. “I’m glad you had such an adventurous first day! Why don’t you get cleaned up and then we can have lunch?”

Popplio barks in happiness, pulling a laugh from his mother and a cheer from Meowth. Sun nods, heading towards his room with his starter following close behind. 

The exhaustion from the day’s events still clung to him like a dead weight. He hung his hat and bag on the coat rack before pulling out his desk chair and taking a seat. If he laid on his bed now, he’s pretty sure he would be out in a second and not wake up for the rest of the day. Maybe the jet lag from the move was still affecting him? His younger self, as least. 

Popplio wastes no time jumping right onto his bed, forgoing the usual look around and instead allowing itself the pleasure of rolling around on his sheets, making itself comfortable and right at home. It was such a far cry from how Litten acted when Sun first brought it home. His fire starter wouldn’t allow itself to relax until it had sniffed every inch of his room and checked out every possible nook and cranny it could find. Only after setting its sight and marking its paws on everything, did Litten finally allow itself to jump onto his bed and curl itself into a ball to sleep. 

It comes as no surprise Popplio would be more carefree than Litten had been. He remembers when Moon first brought her Popplio home, and all the chaos it had caused running around the whole house and barking up a storm. It had also jumped onto Moon’s bed the second it entered her room and slept snuggled beside her even after it had evolved into a Brionne. It wasn’t until it evolved into a Primarina that Moon had to keep it inside its pokeball at night. 

Sun falls into a deeper silence after those recollection of memories. Now that he’s taken notice of Moon’s absence, he couldn’t stop feeling that something was just out of place and wrong in the house, like a puzzle missing a piece or a picture that had a part cut and torn out. It doesn’t help the fact that Sun doesn’t know the full extent of Moon’s apparent “condition” that forced her to stay behind in Kanto with his father. He doesn’t even know how to properly bring the subject up to his mother without her getting suspicious or making things more awkward than they already were. 

Moon and him had always been joined at the hip for as long as he can remember. They were so close that people easily mistook them for twins, rather than siblings who were just one year apart. It was always a form of great comfort knowing he could always go to Moon whenever something troubled him and she would just  _ get it _ .

Sure, they fought and got on each other’s nerves more times than not, but at the end of the day they still had each other’s backs. Even when their parents’ inevitable divorce forced their family apart, Sun and Moon still managed to find a way to stick together. 

His brows knit in confusion. Were his parents divorced? If this truly was the past, then why was Moon left behind in Kanto? Nothing should be different if all Nebby did was send Sun to the past when he was eleven and had just moved to Alola. If Moon was still in Kanto with their father, what else was different?

Sun racks his brain to see if there were any other instances that were different, but comes up short. He received his starter earlier and in a slightly different fashion, but Kukui explained that the circumstances just allowed it to happen like that. Besides, it wasn’t a major change or anything. Everything else proceeded the way Sun remembered it to, as best as he could in any case. It had been seven years ago when he first started his Pokemon journey. 

He’s brought out of his thoughts by Popplio’s barking. It’s only then that he realizes that his mother is calling him to come eat. 

He exits his room with Popplio, who instantly runs over and starts playing with Meowth. His mother giggles at the sight of the two Pokemon. Sun helps her set the table, a task him and Moon would take turns doing. His lips draw into a hard line as he quickly stops those train of thoughts. He doesn’t want his mother asking any questions when he still hasn’t figured out a way to bring it up to her in conversation. 

They eat in comfortable silence, with his mother piping up to ask him about his day here and there. Sun just smiles and tells her bits and stories, opting to leave out the part where he almost fell to his untimely death before Tapu Koko appeared and managed to save him in the nick of time. 

After they finish their meal, he helps his mother clean up while poor Meowth is dragged into another play fest with an all too energetic Popplio. The trainer is grateful for his Pokemon’s exuberant personality lighting up the room and chasing some of the dark clouds surrounding the house away, even if only a little bit. 

Sun retires to his room quickly afterwards, stating he was tired and just needed some rest. Instead of going to bed, he pulls out his desk chair and began jotting down more notes in his notepad. Just simply things about Moon and his previous team, in case something causes him to forget. He even writes down his concern about some aspects about the past appearing to be different, and to be on the lookout for anything else that may be out of the ordinary. 

Time quickly flies by and before he knows it, it’s dark out. Sun stretches, joints popping from being in a stiff position for so long. He wishes his mother a goodnight before climbing into bed. Popplio joins him and snuggles close to him. A smile appears briefly on his face before it smooths out into a peaceful expression, sleep taking over and his conscience fading to black. 

***

It may have been wishful thinking, but Sun had hoped that when he woke up he would find himself back in his rightful time. But alas, when he opened his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of his childhood bedroom and a still fast asleep Popplio by his side. 

He tries to be gentle as to not wake his starter, but Popplio shifts in its sleep before slowly opening its eyes. It should be a crime how adorable it looked in that moment, mouth opened wide in a yawn before barking happily at the sight of its trainer. Sun rubs its stomach before getting out of bed. He picks Popplio up and heads out his door towards the porch in search of his mother, dodging a few unpacked boxes on the way. 

“What a beautiful morning!” his mother says, stretching her arms high above her. “All right, today’s the day that I finally unpack-”

She’s interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Sun’s already heading for the door before she can ask him to, but before he reaches it, Professor Kukui enters. Ah, Alolans. Never shying away from entering other people’s houses even without permission. He remembers how odd that had been for his mother, Moon, and him to adjust to. Though, at least the people of Alola have the decency to knock or ring the doorbell first before entering. They weren’t as bad as some Kantonians could be. 

“Alola Ray! And Popplio!” Kukui greets with a grin, energetic even this early in the morning. If Sun subconsciously hugs his starter closer to him after being called by  _ that name _ , it goes unnoticed by the older man. “It’s about time we set out for the festival, yeah!”

It takes a minute for Sun to remember what Kukui was talking about. Kahuna Hala had mentioned wanting to hold a festival in Iki Town today for whatever reason. That’s also when he promised to return his sparkling stone back to him. He must have been really tired to have forgotten all of that. 

“But first,” Kukui begins, “there’s something I’ve got to teach you now that you’re a real Pokemon Trainer.” 

He instructs the trainer to come join him on Route 1. His mother greets Professor Kukui before telling Sun to have fun at the festival. She promises to have every box unpacked by the time he returns, a feat Sun knows his mother will never actually accomplish but doesn’t say. Kukui allows him time to get ready, stating he’ll meet him at the designated spot. Sun places Popplio back inside its pokeball and goes to retrieve his belongings. 

He can’t believe Kukui is going to take the time to teach Sun how to properly catch a Pokemon. He almost laughed with how absurd the idea was, but he couldn’t fault the professor. To him, Sun is a fresh new trainer with no experience, so it was his job to teach him the proper edict of catching and handling Pokemon. He doesn’t know Sun is practically a seasoned veteran at this point. 

Regardless, he allows Kukui to show him. The trainer is surprised when the professor encounters a Grubbin of all Pokemon, as he doesn’t remember there being that breed of species in these tall grasses before. Sun was well-versed in the specific locations of pretty much every Alolan Pokemon, so he’s sure Grubbin were never prevalent here before. He catalogs that difference to write down in his notepad for later. 

After the demonstration, Kukui hands him a few pokeballs and potions to get him started. A wave of nostalgia hits him then. He really was going to begin his Pokemon journey from the beginning again, wasn’t he?

Maybe he won’t have to. If he figures out how to get back to his rightful time, then he won’t have to worry about repeating his Pokemon journey all over again. But the question still remains on how to get back. If Nebby really is the key for him to get back home, then he’s going to have to somehow find a way to get Lillie and go to Poni Island so that they could summon Solgaleo. However, before he can do any of that, he’s going to have catch Professor Kukui up to speed. 

“Professor,” he begins slowly, making sure he has Kukui’s full attention. “There’s something I need to speak to you about.”

“Sure, cousin,” Kukui replies. “What’s on your mind?”

Now that he has the professor’s attention, Sun realizes that he didn’t think about how he was going to explain his situation to the older man through. Just coming out and saying,  _ I’m actually from the future and the reason I’m eleven years old again is because the Legendary Pokemon of the Sun Solgaleo accidentally lost control of its powers and opened up a wormhole which sucked me in and sent me back in time _ , seemed ridiculous and would probably cause Kukui to look at him like he’s grown a second head. 

His moment of hesitation cost him because Kukui just smiles and says, “How about we just enjoy the festival for now, and if you still want to talk later, we can, yeah?”

Sun deflates a bit at the statement, but can do nothing else except nod. He has to really think this through if he’s going to get Kukui to believe him. Looks like he has another conversation he has to mentally psych himself up for. Fantastic. 

Kukui encourages him to roam around the tall grass and get himself acquainted with the Pokemon who inhabit them before eventually making his way to Iki Town for the festival. He wishes the trainer best of luck before leaving. 

Having nothing better to do, Sun decides to take the professor’s advice and begins roaming through the tall grass. Now was as good a time as any to give Popplio some much needed training. 

He runs into another Grubbin, which he debates on whether or not to catch it before deciding against it. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a freaking Ledyba comes flying out of literal nowhere. What was the deal with the increase in bug Pokemon around this area? The Professor’s Assistant within Sun wanted to take the time to study why this change in Pokemon habitation was occurring. Did it have anything to do with the climate? The soil or berries? The correlation between predator and prey? In the end, Sun just quickly jotted down messy notes before moving on. 

He encounters a few Yungoos before encountering a Pikipek. Seeing one instantly reminded him of his Toucannon and it causes him to stall. He always thought it was good to have another companion fairly early on, so that your starter wouldn’t have to remain alone for long. He believed it to be good for his starter to quickly bond with another teammate and get used to the idea of being on an actual team. That’s why he had caught a Pikipek early on in his journey, and raised it alongside his Litten. 

He remembers them instantly bonding and remaining great friends long after evolving into an Incineroar and Toucannon. Sun had been grateful for Toucannon’s addition to his team. He could always count on it to remain levelheaded and get them through even the toughest of situations. 

He decides to catch the Pikipek in the end. He tucks its pokeball safely away before continuing on. He runs into a few trainers, but Popplio was strong enough to handle them. He decides to go stand by the spot overlooking the ocean again, taking a moment to give Popplio a potion to restore its vitality. 

Sun always did enjoy coming here and looking out towards the ocean. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, time once again flying by before the trainer could notice. He decides to jog the rest of the way to Iki Town to save him from being late, although he’s stopped short at the sight of a Rockruff running up towards him. 

Some higher power was just having a blast forcing Sun to take a path down nostalgia lane, weren’t they? The trainer bends down to pet the adorable Pokemon, all the while thinking of his very own Lycanroc. After seeing Professor Kukui’s very own, Sun knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wanted one for himself. It had taken him a long time to acquire one, haven’t not known previously that Rockruffs could be found at Ten Carat Hill which was located near his house. He blames Kukui for not having mentioned that sooner. 

After spinning this way and that, Sun reluctantly had to force himself to leave, otherwise he would have been stuck there all day. The Rockruff seemed grateful nonetheless, as it barked at him in pure delight. 

He jogs the rest of the way, only to freeze in his tracks at the sight of two strange individuals standing just a few feet away from the steps leading up towards Iki Town. 

They were the strangest people Sun had ever seen, and he’s seen some strange people throughout his life. The two individuals, one tall and the other short, were dressed head to toe in what appeared to be some kind of white and blue suit with a helmet covering the entirety of their faces. Sun wondered how they weren’t suffocating from the Alolan humidity. 

“So this...is what they call a festival,” the taller of the two says, which further confuses Sun. “It does look like the people are having fun…” He shakes his head, the gesture seeming a bit...off due to the suit. “Not that they should! As though this was any time to celebrate…”

“You don’t have to try so hard to act like you’re not interested, you know?” the shorter of the two - a female if Sun is judging the sound of the voice correctly - says to her companion. “Maybe a festival isn’t so bad sometimes. The aura measurements are pretty high, too!”

_ Aura measurements _ ? Sun thinks to himself, confusion and apprehension only growing.  _ What are these people even talking about? _

“It is only thanks to the Blinding One that Alola is overflowing with such brilliance,” the taller of the two - definitely a man - states. He turns towards the girl by his side before continuing. “Though the Blinding One is left in such a state now, so dark and enfeebled…”

“We've just gotta make sure the Blinding One can shine like it used to again, right!” the girl states with conviction, swaying from side to side. “So let’s get started by having a look around!”

Sun has no idea who this Blinding One is that these strange people keeps referring to. He’s never heard of any person or Pokemon that goes by that name before. Not even in any of the ancient texts depicting the history of Alola and its kings, wars, and legendary deities. Whoever these people were, it’s clear they weren’t not from Alola. 

The two strange individuals finally take notice of the trainer. Sun can’t make heads or tails of their expressions, given that so much of it were hidden behind a helmet and visors. The taller of the two points at him before speaking. “You…are likewise new to the shores of Alola. A fellow traveler from a distant land…”

Sun’s eyes widen in shock. How did this guy know that? Just who in Arceus were these people?

Sun isn’t given the chance to ask, as the two individuals turn and walk away. Sun is tempted to chase them down, to demand them to tell him who they were and what their business was in Alola, but decides against it. He has a feeling they wouldn’t be very forthcoming with any useful information. 

Sun definitely makes a mental reminder to write this down in his notepad as another difference that occurred. Sun would have remembered running into people like that when he was young. As it stands, he has never seen those people even when he was older. He’ll have to look into them more later when he has the time. Something about them was setting something off inside of him.

For now, Sun climbs the steps up into Iki Town. He’s already running late as it is. He doesn’t want to have to deal with anymore distractions. 


	5. Chapter 5

The festival was in full swing when Sun finally entered Iki Town. Torches were lit, adults were mingling, and children were running around with their Pokemon having the time of their lives. 

Sun wishes he could bask in their joy and excitement, but his mind was still hung up on what had transpired mere moments ago. He couldn’t get those strangers in the bizarre suits and their completely unorthodox mannerisms out of his head. There was just something in his gut telling him that those two individuals were up to something, and if there’s anything Sun has learned over the years, it’s to trust his instincts. 

Maybe he should ask Kahuna Hala if he’s noticed anything unusual around Iki Town, or if he saw those two strangers too. It would be important for the Island’s Kahuna to be made aware of abnormal visitors traveling through their region. Sun doesn’t want to run the risk of something happening in Alola because he didn’t stop whoever those people were when he had the chance. 

He spots Hau further in as he makes his way through the village, playing with his Litten. His best friend spots him as he approaches and sends him one of his signature happy-go-lucky smiles. “Yo! Howzit, Ray?”

He has to stop himself from smiling at Hau’s rather different style of speaking, even when  _ that name _ sends an uneasy feeling though him. Sometimes, when he’s really excited, Hau would slip into a unique Alolan dialect that’s only really heard around Melemele Island. Even Sun would find himself splitting off into that dialect during heated or passionate conversations about his research. He blames it on Hau and his constant exposure to it. 

“Alola Hau,” he greets in return. “Hey, did you see any weird people around the village?”

Hau gives him a skeptical look before shaking his head. “I haven’t seen anyone besides the other villagers.” He turns and looks around at the other villagers enjoying themselves. “Not many people come to our festival anyways. Didja see someone?”

His lips harden into a firm line. “I saw two people wearing strange costumes at the village’s entrance. I’ve never seen people like that before.”

He’s caught off guard when this pulls a laugh from Hau. “That’s ‘cuz you’ve hardly been here for more than a day or so! Of course, you wouldn’t have seen a lot of people that you’d recognize.”

He’s momentarily speechless before Hau’s words fully register in his mind. Right, from Hau’s perspective-from  _ everyone’s _ perspective-this is only Sun’s second day in Alola. Of course he shouldn’t find it peculiar when he sees random strangers in even stranger get-ups because he hasn’t fully become accustomed to his new home as of yet. 

Except he  _ has _ become accustomed to his new life, has been accustomed to it for seven years now, and he would know from a single glance that whoever those people were, they were definitely not from Alola and were definitely up to something. 

“I just…” he trails off. Why was it so hard for him to form his thoughts into words? This was Hau, for crying out loud! No matter how ridiculous or insignificant something may have appeared to be, no matter how paranoid or self-conscience Sun became, Hau never once thought of him to be crazy or delusional. Hau always believed in Sun and whatever he had to say. Talking to his best friend now shouldn’t be any different. 

Hau stares at him for a few seconds longer before breaking out into a large grin. “Well, don’t worry about it!” he says, only succeeding in making Sun worry about it even more. “You’re finally here! Man, me and Litten’ve been waiting for ages!”

Litten meows in agreement, causing Sun’s heartstrings to tug in affection. He turns his attention back towards the other trainer, but before he can get another word out, Professor Kukui and Lillie appear and begin walking towards them. 

It still makes Sun’s stomach flutter at seeing Lillie again. She was the one change he wished would remain true when he woke up this morning. He’s glad the universe allowed him this one gift. 

“Right on time, cousin!” Kukui exclaims in greeting. “We can now begin the battles!”

Sun and Lillie both tilt their heads in confusion. Kukui laughs at the pairs’ identical expression and proceeds to explain the tradition of battling in friendly competition, all in Tapu Koko’s name in order to please their island deity. Sun knit his brows in concentration this time, trying to remember if they did this during his proper time. He honestly couldn’t remember. He makes a mental note to write this down for later. 

Hala appears and heals up both his and Hau’s Pokemon. Then, he instructs the two trainers to follow him to the main platform that’s located at the center of the town. The Kahuna speaks a prayer to Tapu Koko, and introduces both Hau and him with grace and dignity of trainers partaking in Alola’s very own island challenge. 

He can’t seem to muster up any excitement for the ceremony or for the battle with his rival, not even when the crowd and his own mother begin to cheer. He doesn’t back out though. He steps onto the platform, and from there, the battle begins. 

It’s nice to see the Pichu that is sent out, knowing that one day it’ll evolve into a strong Alolan Raichu. He contemplates whether to send out Popplio, as it surely could handle itself even with the type disadvantage, but decides to send out his newly caught Pikipek instead. Might as well train it up with the opportunity presented to him and save Popplio for when Hau sends out his starter. 

Pikipek struggles against Pichu, causing Sun to recall it back before it faints. Popplio is able to beat it in the next hit. And then Litten is sent out. It’s only a matter of time before his starter delivers the final blow, and the match is over. Hau throws his arms behind his head and congratulates him with a friendly smile, stating that the match was fun and he really enjoyed himself. 

The crowd was absolutely thrilled by the match, but Sun still couldn’t bring himself to share in their joy. They were blessed by the roar of the great Tapu Koko itself, revealing that it, too, had greatly enjoyed the fight. 

“Oh, I nearly forgot! I think it’s time you take this, Ray,” Kahuna Hala says, as he walks towards the young trainer. He hands Sun the sparkling stone from the previous day, now fashioned into his very own Z-Power Ring that attached to his wristband. The weight of it was comforting and familiar. 

Receiving his Z-Power Ring officially commemorated the start of his island challenge. As Kukui and Hala explain what the island challenge is and what the proper procedures are, Sun quietly tunes it all out. He doesn’t mean to be rude or anything. It’s just that he already knows all of this. Has already undergone his island challenge. 

Though, now since he has been given essentially free reign, he can act more independently and with more control. He can try to find a way to rectify his situation on his own time and terms. He can even study Alola and see whether or not if there are more differences than he thought previously. 

“Sounds great, right?” Hau says, pulling Sun from his thoughts. “I can’t wait to have a real adventure!”

Hala hands both Hau and him their island challenge amulets, and wishes them the best of luck. The festival continues on afterwards and Sun decides to retire early, but not before pulling both Hala and Kukui off to the side. 

“I just wanted to let both of you know that I saw some strange people dressed in weird costumes hanging around the village’s entrance,” he says, not allowing himself to falter this time. Both the Kahuna and Professor exchange contemplative looks before returning their attention back towards the trainer. 

“Could you be more specific. What exactly were these people doing and how were they dressed?” Hala asks. Sun explains to them how the strange individuals were wearing blue and white outfits that appeared to be made from some kind of mechanical design, and that they were mentioning things such as aura measurements around Alola and how strange their festivals appeared to them. He also told them how the strangers kept mentioning “the Blinding One.”

“How peculiar…” Hala trails off, one hand holding his chin in deep thought. 

“No kidding,” Kukui agrees, mimicking the Kahuna’s gesture as he processes everything Sun had told them. “I’ve never heard of anyone that fits that description. Let alone anything about this so called ‘Blinding One.’”

Relief rushes through Sun at being taken seriously on this matter. He’s glad he doesn’t have to carry the weight of this suspicion all on his own. 

“Professor Kukui and I will have a deeper look into this matter,” Hala says, giving him a king smile. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”

He nods, returning the smile with one of his own. He bids farewell to the Kahuna soon afterwards and lets his mother know that he was returning home. Kukui and Lillie offer to walk back with him. After saying goodbye to Hau, the trio begin their walk back home. 

***

“That was a most mysterious event…” says a tall man wearing a mechanical, full body suit. Him and his companion, a young girl with ginger hair fashioned into a braid, quietly began retreating from the local town. “A festival to celebrate drawing forth one’s full power…”

They had hidden nearby when they came into contact with a seemingly young child, not wanting to create a scene and draw attention to themselves. With the overwhelming aura readings they were getting on their devices, they couldn’t afford to leave just yet. 

“You looked like you were enjoying the show,” says his smaller companion, swaying from side to side. “Did you want to take part in the battles, too?”

“Don’t be silly.” he chides his companion. “We are here to investigate and learn.” He turns, so that he was facing the young girl beside him as he continues to speak. “Even with all of our technology, we cannot control the Blinding One’s light…” A tinge of frustration enters his tone, even as he tries to control his emotions. Getting upset now will do them no good. “Thus we are left with no choice but to try to stop it by force!”

It may sound extreme, but they were truly facing desperate times as their problem continued to show no sign of stopping. They themselves don’t have the ability to control the auras emitting throughout Alola. And yet…

“And yet it seems that the humans of this Alola can wield powerful auras,” the tall man states. These people may finally be the keys they have been searching for a long time. These people could finally be the ones to give them  _ hope _ . 

“Yeah, what’d they call that thing?” the young girl asks. “A Z-Power Ring? Its aura readings were off the charts! Do you think that’s why they could control auras like that?”

It must be. There was no other means to describe it. Somehow, the people from this Alola have found a way to manufacture a device that allowed them to control and utilize the auras emitted from the region of Alola. How they were able to pull such a miracle off remains to be unknown. 

“Alola is definitely an amazing place! Let’s go check the next site!” his companion says excitedly. The taller of the two can’t help but laugh at the young girl’s enthusiasm. With a nod, the two travelers headed off to their next location.

***

Sun pulls out his chair and sits at his desk, while Popplio makes itself comfortable on his bed. He really should discipline his starter so that it doesn’t develop a habit, but he doesn’t have the heart to tell Popplio off when it looks so comfortable and adorable. Instead of worrying about his starter, Sun pulls out his notepad and begins worrying about other matters. 

He would much rather spend his time reviewing the quick, chicken-scratch notes that he wrote down about the various bug Pokemon he discovered along Route 1, but the situation with encountering those strange individuals was far more important. He began jotting down everything he observed about them, including their quirky mannerisms to their style of speech and attire. 

**_A man and woman in blue, white suits. Looked mechanical?_ ** That was by far the most strangest aspect of their attire. They almost looked like walking robots at first glance. Maybe they were?

Sun shook his head. He’s seen some pretty incredible things in his life, but actual sentient robots? He can’t rule out the possibility. Heck, an almighty legendary Pokemon of the sun opened a wormhole and sent him hurtling through space and time back to the past. Anything was possible, at this point. 

He continued writing.  **_They kept mentioning “The Blinding One.” Who/What is that? Pokemon? Person?_ ** Sun just doesn’t have enough information to come to a concrete conclusion. 

He decides to make a column of similarities and differences he’s so far encountered since waking up in the past. He has to think very hard, but he manages to write down how he remembers certain events unfolding and correlates them to how they unfolded the second time around. He writes down minor things, such as the difference in how he received his starter Pokemon, the different Pokemon present in Route 1, etc. He then lists the major differences, such as Moon not being here due to her “condition” and that he encountered two strangers in front of the entrance to Iki Town. 

He pauses in his furious note-taking, pen hovering above the paper, before he takes a breath and write down,  **_Saw Lillie again. She’s_ ** -alive, safe,  _ here _ - **_okay. Lillie is okay._ **

Sun feels a bit ridiculous, but he just needed to write that down. As though writing it into existence will cement it and make it all the more real. Even if this all really does turn out to be nothing more than a wistful dream, knowing that Lillie was safe was all that mattered to him. Seeing her again was enough to soothe the gnawing ache within him. 

So, why were his hands suddenly shaking?

Sun puts his pen and notepad away, and gets up from his chair. He stretches out his arms above his head, groaning at the exhaustion plaguing his limbs. He doesn’t remember ever getting so tired so quickly when he was young before. Maybe it’s because his mind has been put through the ringer these past two days. Any kid would easily collapse from the mental gymnastics he’s been doing trying to figure everything out. 

Popplio makes room for him as he goes to lie down, but before he does, a series of knocks come from his door. His mother enters not a second later, gracing him with a tired yet sweet smile. The ones she reserves for both him and Moon. Sun doesn’t know how he feels now that he knows he’s the only recipient of his mother’s kind smiles. 

“Hi sweetheart,” his mother greets as she makes her way over to him. Sun sits down on his bed and looks up to his mother, sending a smile her way. She comes to a stop just in front of him. “I just wanted to see how you were doing. You must be exhausted from the long day.”

Sun nods, not having anything else to say. Her smile never leaves her face. “I danced my feet off at that festival, so I’m beat!” she says with a small laugh. “Is there anything you want before you go to sleep?”

He shakes his head. He wasn’t really feeling hungry or anything. All he wanted to do was sleep the night away. 

“Well, I’ll let you get some rest. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.” Sun tilts his head in confusion, causing his mother to giggle. “Tomorrow marks the first day of your island challenge, right?”

Oh, that’s right. How could Sun have forgotten that? All of these crazy events must have been starting to affect his memory. The thought scared him for then he would have liked to admit. He’s not going to slowly start losing his memories, is he?

His mother’s small laugh drew his attention back to her. “Silly boy,” she says fondly. She places a hand on his cheek and leans down to place a kiss on his forehead. No matter how old he got, Sun never once complained about this small act of affection. He would be lying if he said it didn’t instantly calm him down whenever he was feeling overwhelmed or frazzled. 

His mother begins to head for the door. She waits patiently as Sun tucks himself into bed, Popplio snuggling close to its trainer. She places her hand on the light switch and says, “Goodnight, my beautiful Ray,” before flicking the switch and shutting the door quietly behind her. 

Instead of finding solace in the silence, he found it to be eerie and deafening to his ears. He spent the whole night lying awake, staring at his ceiling as the words  _ my beautiful Ray  _ thundered and ricocheted throughout his mind. 

If he holds Popplio tighter throughout the night, no one was there to bare witness. 


	6. Chapter 6

It seemed standing on their outdoor porch basking in the Alolan sunlight was slowly starting to become Sun’s new morning routine, even if only because that’s where he was guaranteed to find his mother along with her Meowth. He holds Popplio close to him, but reluctantly lets it down when it begins squirming in his grasp to go play with Meowth. 

After finishing her morning stretch, his mother turns towards him with a radiant smile on her face. “Good morning sweetheart,” she greets. “Did you sleep well?”

Sun did not sleep well, but he doesn’t tell her that. He just smiles and nods, knowing she’ll believe him in a heartbeat. It was almost frightening how easily he was able to wear a mask and feign nonchalance. He doesn’t allow himself to dwell on the fact that he still retained this mechanism well into his early adulthood too. 

By the blessings of the Tapu Koko, a knock at the door saved Sun from any further talk with his mother. He doesn’t know when he started to become apprehensive about talking with his mother, about letting her get too close and seeing the person he truly was, but he doesn’t want to figure that out right now. Instead, he makes a beeline to the door, recalling Popplio back inside its pokeball. 

He’s completely caught off guard when it’s none other than Lillie at the door, looking timid and a bit awkward. He must look absolutely ridiculous with his eyes wide and mouth hanging open but Lillie either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care. She begins explaining to Sun that Kukui had instructed her to bring the new, talented trainer to the Professor’s lab, so she was here to show him the way.

It takes a few seconds for Sun’s brain to fully catch up to what Lillie was saying. He blames it on not getting any sleep last night, but once he fully understands, he tells her to wait as he runs back inside to collect his things. He quickly tells his mother goodbye, who gives him some pocket money for his journey, before hastily making his way out the door. He didn’t want to keep Lillie waiting any longer. 

So far, his morning was off to a great start. Even though he knows how to get to Kukui’s lab - a place that had become more like a home to him than the one he currently lived in - he allows himself to be guided by Lillie across the small patches of tall grass down towards the shore. A calming serenity fills the space between them, a common occurrence whenever it was just the two of them. Sun could always count on Lillie bringing a quiet happiness along with her wherever she journeyed, and Sun thanked every island deity there was for giving him the chance to experience it again. Being with Lillie made him feel at peace. It was as simple as that. 

He isn’t surprised when he’s hit with an enormous amount of longing and sheer joy at seeing Kukui’s not-so conventional Pokemon lab upon reaching it. After all, this basically becomes his home after he agreed to be Kukui’s personal assistant and fellow researcher. He spent the majority of his time here, helping Kukui out on various experiments and researches as well as accomplishing his own studies. He wanted nothing more than to run straight inside and hide himself away in his own tiny bedroom and lock the entire world away. He wanted to submerge himself in his research notes and not leave until he figured out a solution to his problem. 

But of course, he couldn’t do that. As much as it hurts for him to admit, this wasn’t his home anymore. At least, it won’t be for another seven years. 

However, his lips do quirk up at the corners upon hearing the infamous ruckus coming from within the Pokemon lab. 

“Ah, there they go again…” Lillie sighs, though there’s a hint of fondness in her voice. “The Pokemon Research Lab has its own unique charm, as I think you might agree.” She turns towards him as she says this, and Sun nods in agreement. It was one of the many things the trainer loved about the lab. 

“I’ve actually been, um, imposing on the Professor here for the past three months,” Lillie reveals, eyes cast down towards the ground. Sun’s gaze softens as he looks at her while she continues to speak. “I’m not much of an assistant, but it’s the least I can do to pay him back for letting me stay.”

Kukui’s kindness and generosity are some of the many qualities Sun deeply respects and admires about the older man. He’s glad Kukui took Lillie in and provided for her when she had no one else. She always seemed much happier living here and being around Kukui than she ever did with her mother, which only added more fuel to the ever growing fire of sadness within Sun when Lillie still decided to leave all of this behind when she left with her mother to Kanto in the end.

Sun quickly banished that train of thought before it could take root. It only ever succeeded in leading him down a dark road. He promised himself he would never allow himself to begin thinking like that ever again. 

A loud crashing noise once again came from within the building. They both decided to head quickly in, before Kukui and his Rockruff caused anymore significant damage. The overall appearance from within still looked exactly like Sun remembered it being, not much having changed over the course of several years. He glanced up towards the left side and saw what would eventually end up becoming his room. A relatively small, upper area with a ladder for accessibility, a desk with a bookshelf next to it, and a small bed tucked into the corner. Presently, it still belonged to Lillie. Sun had a hard time moving into the room at first because it had belonged to his dear friend, but after much encouragement from Kukui, he finally did. He averts his gaze and redirects it back towards the Professor. 

“Hey there, Ray!” Kukui waves. Sun gives a strained smile in return. “Thanks for getting him for me, Lillie!”

Rockruff barks in greeting, and Sun instantly wanted to simultaneously pet the adorable Pokemon and run over to Ten Carat Hill right next door and catch his very own Rockruff. But like the case with Litten and Pikipek, no matter how many Rockruffs he captured, none of them would ever be the same as  _ his  _ Lycanroc. 

His Lycanroc had become very fond and protective of Kukui’s Rockruff. Memories of the two Pokemon playing with each other wash over him, and once again Sun has to shake the thoughts from his mind. He really needed to get a grip on his emotions and memories. 

Kukui asks for his Pokedex, which Sun readily hands over. He already knows the older man is going to fashion a Rotom into his Pokedex. He’s grateful that Rotoms agreed to inhabit Pokedexes, as they’re immensely resourceful and reliable. Rotom was pretty much a member of Sun’s team just like all of his other Pokemon, so he was looking forward to finally getting another one for his Pokedex. 

“See, there’s this Pokemon inside your Pokedex called Rotom,” Kukui begins to explain. “Rotom is-”

“A unique Pokemon with a body made up of some kind of electricity,” Sun blurts out, as though a switch was instinctively flipped on and was now causing an excessive amount of information to come flooding out of him. “It’s generally classified as a dual-type electric/ghost Pokemon, but it has the ability to change its form by possessing the motors of certain types of machines. Like when it possesses-”

He stalls in his explanation onslaught when he sees the look of utter shock and surprise painting both Kukui’s and Lillie’s expressions. He quickly clamps his mouth shut in horror. He might as well have dived headfirst into the fiery Wela Volcano by just how badly his entire face was burning up in embarrassment. 

Hau and Moon would constantly tease him for his habit of going on long tangents about random topics pertaining to his research or Pokemon in general. Sun never took offense to any of their jabs because he knew they were just joking around with him and that they genuinely enjoyed it when he spoke so passionately about the things that interested him. But right at this moment, as Kukui and Lillie continued to gawk at him, he wished the earth would just open up and swallow him whole to save him from this humiliation.

The awkward stretch of silence was mercifully broken when a laughter spills from Kukui’s lips. It wasn’t the kind of laughter someone had when they were making fun of somebody else. It was a genuine, joyful laughter that even charmed Lillie into letting out a giggle of her own. Sun still felt highly embarrassed, but he was grateful that the awkwardness that plague the air had dissipated. 

“You sure know your stuff, dontcha Ray?” Kukui says, laughter finally dying down. Thankfully, Kukui doesn’t bother explaining any further and finishes fixing Rotom into the trainer’s Pokedex. 

“...Kzzzt?” comes a sound from his newly inhabited Pokedex. Rotom flies up into the air, letting out another cry of joy and causing Rockruff to do the same. Rotom wastes no time flying over to Sun and introducing itself. “Uh, hey there! P-pleasure to meet you! I-I’m not nervouzzz or anything, okay?”

A smile makes its way onto his face as Sun greets his new Rotom back in return. Every Rotom had their own unique way of communicating and behaving, but for the most part, they were friendly and always eager to lend a helping hand. This Rotom was no different in that regard. After the introduction, Rotom safely tucks itself into his bag. 

“Since you haven’t been here in Alola for too long yet, I decided to give you this special Rotom Dex to help you navigate around,” Kukui says. Sun thanks him for being so thoughtful, to which the Professor just laughs and tells him not to worry about it. 

Rockruff suddenly perked up and started running towards the door. Everyone turned just as Hau entered the room. “A-lo-la!” his best friend greets enthusiastically. His attention immediately gets drawn to the various cool decors all around the lab, and Sun can’t help the smile on his face from growing wider at seeing Hau so full of energy. 

After a moment of fanboying from Hau, Kukui immediately perks up and addresses the two trainers. “All right then, Ray! You too, Hau! Time to get a move on!”

Hau was ecstatic, and Sun couldn’t help but feel the same way. As much as he enjoyed Kukui’s insistence on making sure he was prepared, he was starting to become antsy at the overt hand holding. 

Lillie was designated by the Professor to be Sun’s personal guide around Alola. Her job was to help him find his way around and teach him about how everything worked on their tropical islands. Sun didn’t mind the arrangement one bit. He was just glad to have Lillie around him again.

Hau said his farewells before taking off. The rest of them slowly began making their way outside. Sun looks over towards the staircase leading down to the actual lab below, a yearning desire building up within him to go check it out. He begins taking a few steps towards the stairs, wanting to just take a quick peek at the manifestation of his future life, but stops when he hears Lillie’s voice calling out to him from outside. 

He stands frozen in place, hesitating as a war wages on within him. He glances towards the door then back to the stairs before settling back on the door. Lillie calls out to him again, and as if by some untouchable force, his feet begin to move towards her voice. He allows himself to look back at the stairs leading down to the lab. To look back at the life that brought out the best in him before eventually tearing his gaze away. 

It felt like tearing off a part of himself, but once he sees Lillie’s vibrant green eyes looking back at him, he feels himself begin to mend. As much as he knew he belonged in that lab just as much as a Wishiwashi belonged in the vast oceans of Alola, he could allow himself to let it be for now. That life was his future. It would be waiting for him until he returned. 

Lillie was here now. She was his present. 

He shuts the door behind him and goes to join her and Kukui.

***

It was just before Lillie and him were about to make their way to the Pokemon Center by his house that the sky blackened out for a moment. 

Everyone looked up towards the sky, but there were no clouds to be seen. Sun thought it must have been a fickle of his imagination, but both Kukui and Lillie seemed taken aback by the strange phenomenon as well. Even Nebby shook in its bag and made a worried sound. Lillie reaffirmed her partner that everything was okay. 

“This must be what they call a solar eclipse,” Lillie states. “It happens when the sun gets covered up.”

Sun’s forehead creases in confusion. There was no way that was a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse would last far longer than that one second blink of darkness. He turns towards the Professor, who also appeared doubtful as he held his chin in thought. “Was a solar eclipse forecast for today?” he questions. 

Kukui shrugs. He shakes any thoughts from his mind before giving the two kids an encouraging smile. “It must be some kind of good omen, yeah!”

He doesn’t get how this could be seen as some kind of omen, and judging by the look of uncertainty on Lillie’s face, she doesn’t buy it either. “An omen? You think something good will happen?” she asks. 

“Sure!” Kukui nods. “A long, long time ago, Alola was cloaked in darkness, yeah…” the Professor begins to explain. “But people say that’s when Alola’s people and Pokemon blasted all that darkness away with light!”

Sun’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. He had never heard this story before. When had this happened? During the ruling era of Alola’s kings? During the fights that broke out between the island deities and Solgaleo? His fingers itched for his notepad and pen, but he refrained himself and made a mental note about it for later. 

“And they also say that was why people started gathering Z-Crystals, and that custom turned into the island challenge,” Kukui goes on to further explain, causing Sun’s disbelief and confusion to grow more and more. 

Something wasn’t right. One of the many researches him and Kukui conducted were on the origins of Z-Crystals and how they came to be, as well as how they eventually factored into the very lives of Alolan trainers, Pokemon, and customs. Of course, they have many hypotheses, but nothing to create a concrete solution. Neither Kukui or his wife, Professor Brunet, have ever mentioned this seemingly ancient myth to him before. Not even Acerola ever mentioned knowing about this myth. 

His mind was racing a mile a minute trying to piece every bit of information he knew together. Instead of focusing on various little aspects, he draws two big conclusions about what this event could signify. One, this myth does in fact exist and he just simply hasn’t heard of it. Highly unlikely, but he can’t rule out the possibility. Alola had a vast culture and history to it, and Sun wouldn’t go as far to say that he knew every bit of lore and detail about the tropical region. 

Second, this was one of the differences happening to his past. This was the one he hypothesized to be the most likely out of the two, since he’s spotted other changes that contradict with his memory so far. However, if this is true, what could this entail? Just thinking about how this small piece of new information could change the very scope of everything him and Kukui have been trying to solve in the future almost made his head explode. Alola being cloaked in darkness, the people and Pokemon of Alola harnessing the light that emits from the Z-Crystals to drive said darkness away, the very origin of the island challenge itself. So many possibilities opening up before him. Sun needed to-

“Ray!”

Sun slams back into reality when something quite literally slams into him. He blinks and finds himself gazing up at the clear blue Alolan skies, though everything around him seemed to be spinning quite a bit. Once he finally manages to catch his bearings, he feels a weight on his chest. He looks down and sees Kukui’s Rockruff half-standing on his chest, its front paws heavy and making it difficult for the trainer to draw in a breath. 

Rockruff barks before moving off of him and returning back to Kukui’s side. When had the Pokemon even followed them outside? Sun sits up slowly, willing the dizziness shrouding his head to leave and never return.

A hand comes into view. He looks up and sees Lillie standing above him, arm stretched out towards him. Sun hesitates for a second before grabbing her hand, allowing her to help pull him up. 

A memory of tropical trees and clear, crystal seas manifested in his mind. Of Alolan Exeggutors roaming around and Wingulls flying freely in the sky. Of a beautiful girl with golden hair and mint green eyes looking at him like he was her whole world and him looking back at her all the same. Their hands were intertwined together; pieces of a puzzle finally coming together only for those pieces to be ripped away, along with the memory entirely, when Lillie retracted her hand and left Sun feeling even more dazed then he felt when Rockruff had tackled him. 

Both Lillie and Kukui had concern expressions painted across their faces, but it was Lillie who asked, “Are you okay, Ray?”

Sun blinks and sees the last vestiges of that faraway memory evaporate into thin air, as though it had never existed in the first place. He blinks again and he’s back in the past, with Lillie once again asking if he was alright. Sun can’t find the words to speak, can’t find the strength to even open his mouth, so he just nods. Nods and tries to send her a reassuring smile, hoping it doesn’t look as strained and fake as it no doubt was. 

“Maybe you should take him home for now, Lillie” Kukui speaks up. “He’s probably still getting used to the time difference here compared to Kanto.”

Sun immediately shakes his head. If he went home, than he would have to deal with his mother’s concern and he didn’t have the energy to lie to her about what was really going on with him. He didn’t want to lie to her period. He also didn’t want to be alone to deal with the plethora of invading thoughts and emotions surging through him at that moment. 

Lillie looked as if she were going to protest, but decides not to. “Okay, then come on. I’ll show you to the Pokemon Center.”

After saying goodbye to Kukui, Sun follows Lillie back up the way they came from, a sense of deja vu clinging to him all the way to their destination. 


	7. Chapter 7

When he entered the Pokemon Center, Sun was immediately greeted by a man wearing a formal, yet unrecognizable delivery service uniform. He’s come to know this unidentifiable individual simply as the “Mystery Guy.” Nobody knows which delivery service he works for or where the gifts he hands out even come from, which led to those items being dubbed “Mystery Gifts.” Sun has no idea who actually coined those terms, but they couldn’t have been more accurate. 

“Alola!” Mystery Guy greets him; a welcoming smile plastered on his face. Another bizarre aspect about him. He could seemingly speak every language without problem. “Are you Ray?”

_ No _ , Sun immediately thinks without hesitation. The urge to deny any association to  _ that name _ was strong, and he had half a mind to simply ignore the delivery man and high tail it out of there. 

But then he wouldn’t know what gift this strange man was attempting to give him, and as much as it irked him, Sun was far more curious about the mystery gift than the name associated with it. Besides, it was just as Moon had always said to that youngster, Joey,  _ “Listen here, Joey, and remember well! Never accept anything from strangers, no matter how kind they may look. Except Mystery Guy. You can always accept things from him because he gives out awesome stuff!” _

He gave Mystery Guy a stiff nod with an even stiffer smile. If the delivery man was bothered by either gesture, he didn’t show it. He didn’t show much of anything, come to think of it. “Great!” Mystery Guy exclaims. “I’ve got a gift for you!”

To Sun’s genuine surprise, he was handed a unique looking pokeball. He rotated the pokeball in his palm in wonderment. He never received a Pokemon from Mystery Guy before. Not even during his proper time. Another difference he categorized in his mind for a later time. For now, he could barely contain his excitement in finding out just what Pokemon he was given. 

He looked back up to thank the delivery man, but he was gone. Just one more skill to add to his ever-growing list bizarreness; the man had quite the knack for vanishing acts. Sun walked over to the nurse stationed in front and handed over his Pokemon. He wanted to make sure they were in perfect condition for their journey and now, with his newly received Pokemon, he could find out what it was from the display screen showcasing his team. 

To say he was shocked from seeing a Rockruff displayed on the screen would have been an understatement, and to say his heart didn’t give a slight tug at the sight of the puppy Pokemon would have been a blatant lie altogether. Now, with both Rockruff and Pikipek in his possession, Sun could almost fool himself into believing he was slowly being given his original team back. Could that be the case? Or was fate just playing another cruel joke on him?

After his team was all healed up, the nurse returned the Pokemon to their trainer. Sun held the pokeball that contained Rockruff in hand, wondering what could be so special about this particular Pokemon that required it to come from the elusive Mystery Guy himself. He should probably ask Kukui and see if he could shed some light on the matter. 

“Mama!” came the cry of a little girl. “When can I finally get a Pokemon?”

Sun followed the sound of the voice until his eyes landed on a mother and daughter sitting at one of the tables near the cafe. The little girl jumped down from her seat and went to stand next to her mother, tugging on the woman’s skirt insistently. 

“Sweetheart, you’re not old enough to catch one on your own yet,” the mother said gently, trying to soothe her daughter’s despair. “And I don’t know how to catch a Pokemon.”

He continued to listen to the little girl’s pleas in silence. His eyes dropped down to the pokeball in his hand, thoughts and emotions running laps around his mind, and before he knows it, he’s making his way over towards the tables. 

Both mother and daughter pause in their conversation when he approaches. He has no idea what suddenly compelled him to do this, but seeing as the little girl was watching him with curious eyes, he couldn’t back down now. “Alola,” he greeted, directing his gaze towards the mother before speaking again. “I don’t mean to intrude, but I kind of overheard your daughter saying she wanted a Pokemon and well…” He trails off, trying to sort out his thoughts before ultimately breathing in deeply and taking a leap of faith. “I have a Pokemon I don’t mind handing over to her.”

The mother’s eyes widen as her eyebrows skyrocket up into her hairline. It takes the little girl a second to register what Sun said before she begins squealing in absolute delight. “Mama, mama!” the little girl shouts a bit loudly in her excitement, tugging on her mother’s skirt again. “He’s gonna give me a Pokemon!”

“I-I-” the woman stammers, not quite sure how to respond. She takes her attention off her daughter to give him a look of genuine disbelief. “I couldn’t possibly ask you of that. Are you a trainer?” Sun nods. “Then I certainly can’t ask you to give one of your Pokemon away! You would need it for your island challenge!”

“There’s a whole world of Pokemon out there for me to catch,” Sun smiles and it finally feels genuine for once. “And I’ve already caught this specific Pokemon before. I know it’ll be the perfect partner for your daughter.”

The mother still seemed hesitant, but after seeing the pleading look on her daughter’s face, she resigned. He took that as his go-ahead and knelt down in front of the little girl, offering her a gentle smile as to not frighten her. “Hey there. What’s your name?”

“Alani,” the little girl replies. 

“Well, Alani. I have this very special Pokemon here that needs a very special person to take care of it. You think you could be that person?”

Alani nodded so quickly that Sun feared her head would fall right off. He could practically feel her tiny body overflowing with excitement. It made a pleasant warmth spread through him at seeing just how happy he was making this young girl. 

His gaze falls back down to Rockruff’s pokeball. The soothing warmth flooding through him subsides to a gentle stream, but his mind doesn’t follow suit. Instead, he sifted through a million and one scenarios all in the hopes of coming to the best possible outcome for little Alani. She deserved a Pokemon that would cherish her just as much as she was sure to cherish it in return and although Rockruffs were perfect partners for beginning trainers, its later change in disposition would ultimately be the deciding factor. 

Sun looks Alani over once more. It was easy to tell from a glance that she was still far too young in becoming a trainer. Sun would hazard a guess that she was just barely starting out in the Trainer’s School. For that reason alone, she would need a Pokemon that would be more of a family partner rather than a battling partner. As Rockruffs continue to grow and reach their evolution stage, they become wilder and harder to control. It’s a sad fact of reality Sun had seen all too much. It was a common occurrence Gladion and his Aether Foundation had to deal with at least once every year; a Rockruff being abandoned because it became too wild for its trainer or owner to control. 

It was a behavioral pattern Sun could attest to, as he remembers the challenges his own Lycanroc had given him during their journey. And he still needed to find out what was so special about this particular Rockruff, as well. He pockets its pokeball and examines his other Pokemon. 

Popplio was definitely out of the question. But Pikipek…

He removed Pikipek’s pokeball from its holder and examined it. Pikipek would be perfect for Alani, both as a family partner and as a battling partner if she ever decided to become a trainer. He couldn’t stop the flood of memories of his own Toucannon from manifesting at the forefront of his mind. His strong-willed, compassionate Toucannon who always managed to pull his team and him through the toughest of battles. Who showered him with so much love and faith, always believing in him and sticking by his side through it all. He looked at Pikipek’s pokeball, thought of his amazing Toucannon, and his mind was made. 

Pikipek appeared out of its pokeball eyes blinking and feathers ruffled. It let out a friendly chirp at seeing him before turning its attention to Alani, who was jumping with joy at seeing the cute Pokemon. 

“This is Pikipek,” Sun introduces. “It’s a kind and loving Pokemon. I know the two of you will get along great.”

Alani squealed in joy as she picked up her new partner. Pikipek chirped back at its previous trainer. He offered the Pokemon a reassuring smile. “Take good care of Alani, okay?”

Pikipek chirped in promise before turning to nestle loving against the little girl. Sun stood and offered Alani’s mother a smile. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. She turned her attention towards her daughter, who wasted no time in showing her mother the new addition to their family. 

Sun left the Pokemon Center feeling lighter than he’s felt since waking up in the past. Even though this wasn’t the first time he gifted a promising new trainer their very own Pokemon, something about this exchange felt different.

It felt special.

***

It took everything in his power not to groan loudly when Lillie told him he had to make his way to the Trainer’s School.

“I really don’t need to go through the Trainer’s School,” Sun says, trying to hide the subtle annoyance in his voice. He humored Kukui in allowing the Professor to teach him how to catch a Pokemon, but he had to draw the line somewhere. The Trainer’s School would be where that line was drawn. 

“But the Professor said you needed to attend it in order to really begin your Island Challenge,” Lillie counters and he doesn’t know how to explain to her that it would be a fruitless endeavor to undertake. He’d much rather spend his free time gathering more information and planning how to return to his own time. 

A loud noise interrupted their conversation. Sun turned and was greeted by the presence of a wild Tauros blocking the road up ahead. The trainer nearly wept at this cruel turn of events. Giratina itself might as well be condemning Sun to a life of pain and suffering at this point. 

“Well, looks like we won’t be able to go that way,” Lillie says. It does nothing to soothe Sun’s wounded soul. “Now let’s head into the Trainer’s School.”

Lillie began making her way towards the institution, silently telling the trainer to follow her. Sun does, but before he fully enters the school ground, his eyes catch the large block of stone that had the school’s motto engraved into it. Another memory comes to mind, and from it, an idea. He called out to Lillie, who turned and faced him. 

“Haven’t you heard the rumors?” Sun begins, using every bit of will power to prevent a smile from threatening to appear on his face and ruin his plan. “About how this school is supposedly haunted?”

Lillie took the bait hook, line, and sinker. Her face morphed into a look of fear and Sun really had to try his hardest not to laugh at his poor friend. He forgot how gullible Lillie could be sometimes. “What?! Where did you hear that?”

“From a little boy,” technically not a lie. “And from some of the townspeople,” also not really a lie. Lillie’s face was becoming more and more anxious as Sun continued telling her about the infamous cursed Trainer’s School. “The people here refer to it as the ‘Seven Mysteries.’ Things like people hearing strange voices over the PA system, a monster known as Lord Slimey swallowing people whole, stairs that trap you in a never-ending loop where you can’t escape, and the sounds of a girl screaming and the smell of something burning are said to have happened to anyone who comes here at night.” 

“T-Those can’t possibly be true!” Lillie insisted, voice filled with genuine fear. “You hear people make up those kinds of stories all the time. If that stuff were actually true, then the school would have done something about it.”

“But what about the story of a little girl that was taken away by a Hypno and Drifloon?” Sun asks. “There’s a notebook in one of the classrooms at the Trainer’s School that recorded the incident.”

“What?!” Lillie shrieks, eyes wide with terror. “How do you know that?!”

“Because I’m actually from the future who’s been sent back in time to relive my island challenge all over again,” Sun says in all seriousness. 

Maybe it was because he had said that  _ too  _ seriously that caused Lillie to look at him dumbfounded before bursting out in laughter. His renowned poker face probably didn’t add any points in his favor either. 

Still, even though he had been completely serious, hearing Lillie laugh in such a carefree, genuine way made the smile he was holding back to spread across his face without restraint. It was so contagious to the point where he couldn’t stop himself from joining in. Lillie’s laughter had always been music to his ears; a symphony to his soul. He would do anything if it meant he could keep hearing her laugh. 

“What are you both laughing at?”

They both jumped at the sudden voice. Kukui appeared from within the Trainer’s School, giving them his signature bright grin. He turned towards Sun before addressing him. “There you are, Ray! I must’ve passed you two somehow, yeah?”

“Ray was just telling me the rumors about the Trainer’s School,” Lillie pipes up. “There’s no way those rumors are actually true, right Professor?”

“Oh, you mean the Seven Mysteries?” Kukui asks before erupting in laughter. “Who can say! No one knows for certain whether they’re real or not.”

“EH!?” Lillie shrieks. There was no stopping the laughter that came bubbling out of him at seeing her reaction. He’s found himself laughing much more today than he has in the past few days. He also felt a hundred times better than he has been feeling too. Maybe laughter truly was the best medicine. Or maybe it was just Lillie being Lillie. 

“It’s nothing you have to worry about Lillie,” Kukui states in an attempt to ease his frightened assistant-which Sun had to keep reminding himself that that was Lillie and not him. “Now then, Ray!” Kukui redirects his attention back to him. “It’s time for you to enter the Trainer’s School, yeah!”

Let it be known to all that Sun’s good mood was never allowed to last long. “Professor, I really don’t think I need to-”

Kukui held up a hand to stop any further protests. “No excuses, Ray. Since you’re just starting out, and especially since you’re new here, you need to understand how we properly conduct Pokemon battles here in Alola. Therefore, this Trainer’s School will benefit you more than anyone.”

Sun was taken aback by the spike of anger that took the place of his annoyance. It was gone just as fast as it had arrived, but it forced him to take a deep breath and reevaluate himself. Kukui was just looking out for him like he’s always done. Sun shouldn’t hold it against the Professor, but he couldn’t stop the flashes of irritability that pass through him every time someone so much as references him not being from here. They might as well get a Smeargle and paint a giant billboard with the words SUN DOESN’T BELONG IN ALOLA in big letters. 

He shakes those abhorred thoughts from his mind mercilessly. He didn’t mean to think so negatively, but this was one of the things Sun had hated dealing with while growing up in Alola. The undeniable fact that he was different from everyone else. That no matter how kind and accepting everyone may act towards him, there was no mistaking the look in their eyes when they realize he wasn’t from around here and then tried to over-compensate for that difference by acting overly nice to him. 

After years of assimilation, Alola had  _ finally  _ felt like home to him. After years of adapting to Alola’s culture, tradition, and language, Sun finally felt like he  _ belonged _ . That he could proudly call himself an Alolan and not have people look at him as though he was just another seasonal tourist and not a naturalized citizen. Heck, he grew to love Alola so much that when he finally returned to Kanto for the first time since he moved, he felt out of place  _ there _ . A foreigner in the homeland of his birth. 

Sun knows he’s being irrational. He knows that to everyone here he really  _ was _ a foreigner. Someone who had literally just moved here and didn’t know his way around. Someone who was still trying to settle down and collect his bearings. He knows this and knows it wasn’t fair to hold it against anyone present. They were just trying to help and do what they thought was right. 

But right now, these people who become like family to him weren’t helping him in the slightest. All they were doing was cementing the fact that Sun was once again torn from his home and placed into a new land where he was forced to assimilate and adapt all over again. 

He remembers what had eventually led to him becoming Kukui’s assistant in the first place. He had not-so jokingly referred to himself as a regional variant of who he used to be back in Kanto. A Kantonian that somehow found their way to Alola and ended up changing into someone that fit the Alolan lifestyle. Kukui had laughed wholeheartedly at the comment, seeing it as nothing more than a throwaway comment rather than the self-deprecating insult that it most surely was. That was how Kukui encouraged him to take a deeper look into regional variants and adaptations as a whole, since Sun could personally relate to the process.

Was that the Kantonian curse? To be stripped away from their natural environment - from everything they considered to be  _ home  _ \- and be forced to assimilate and change to fit their new lifestyle? Or was that just his own personal brand of mockery?

“Ray?”

He’s pulled from his thoughts at the sound of Lillie’s voice. He turns to see her giving him a concerned look. He’s been getting a lot of those from her recently. Sun shakes any lingering thoughts from his mind, suddenly feeling drained, before focusing back to the present. 

He reassured Lillie that he was fine before she could properly ask. He agreed to participate in the Trainer’s School without putting up a fight. The faster he could be done with this, the faster he could leave. 

He feels Lillie’s lingering gaze on his back, but no matter how much he wanted to, he forced himself not to look back. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

“S-Sorry, could you repeat that again?” Sun asked, somehow managing to form a coherent sentence after picking his jaw up from the floor. “My Rockruff can do  _ what _ ?”

“Achieve an entirely new evolution known as Dusk form,” Kukui replied, sipping his drink with the utmost nonchalance as he passes a piece of his Malasada to his own Rockruff, all the while remaining blissfully unaware at the gravity in which he had just shifted Sun’s entire understanding of Lycanroc’s evolutionary line as he knew it. 

Sun tried to form words, tried to arrange his scattered thoughts into something resembling speech, but all he managed was a garbled mess of mismatched nonsense stumbling out of his mouth before he effectively decided to shut his mouth altogether. 

His inner crisis seemed to go unnoticed by the two other occupants, as Hau simply asks with a mouth full of Malasada if Sun were going to finish his own share of the famous Alolan cuisine while Lillie delicately bit into her portion with caution and care. The four of them were seated in a booth located in the back corner of the grandest Malasada restaurant in Hau’oli City, with their Pokemon munching happily away on their own servings on the floor. It was a treat from Kukui to them, specifically to the two trainers for finishing the Trainer’s School in record time. 

But while everyone was using this downtime to relax, Sun’s mind was no doubt on its way to breaking the sound barrier with just how fast his thoughts and the information he’s gathered throughout the years were flying through his brain. 

He wasted no time in pulling out his notepad and pen, disregarding the strange looks he knew were being sent his way. He flipped to the first fresh page he saw and redirected his attention back towards the Professor. “Could you tell me more about the new evolution?”

Kukui unsurprisingly had a taken-aback expression etched onto his face, but it quickly morphed into one of excitement as he grants the trainer’s request. “Rockruffs are unique Pokemon here in Alola because they have the ability to evolve into different forms depending on the time of day.” He holds up two fingers as he continues speaking. “Those two forms are known as Midday and Midnight, obviously referring to the time of day in which they evolve into those specific forms.”

“However, we’ve discovered that if certain Rockruffs train during the evening while the sun is setting, they gain an entirely new form altogether. We refer to that as its Dusk form.”

Sun studiously scribbled down everything Kukui said as the older man continued explaining. “This new form is still a fairly recent discovery. From further research, I’ve realized that only Rockruffs with a unique, special ability are able to achieve the Dusk evolution.” He motioned with one hand towards Sun’s Rockruff, who was locked in a fierce competition with Hau in seeing who could consume the most Malasada the fastest. Litten gave its trainer a flat look before yawning and curling up into a ball. “Your Rockruff has that special ability.”

“What ability is it?” Sun asked. “And how did certain Rockruffs get that ability? Was it through breeding? Or is it-”

Kukui held up a hand to halt any further questions, a smile playing on his lips. “I admire your enthusiasm, but let’s save this for another time, yeah?” He gestured over towards Lillie and Hau, the former who was not-so sneakily feeding the last bits of her Malasada to Popplio under the table and the latter who seemed to be one second away from succumbing to a food coma. “Besides, I bet these two would get bored out of their minds if we kept going.”

Lillie’s head jerked up towards the Professor at the statement. “Oh, I wouldn’t get bored!” she reassured, hurriedly. She then turned her gaze towards Sun. “I, um, actually think it’s nice to see you so passionate about this sort of stuff...so…”

She seemed more flustered by the compliment than Sun was. He fidgeted with his pen, twirling it around his fingers as he tried to find the proper words to reply. “I…”

“I’ll say!” Kukui suddenly spoke up, causing Sun to jump in his seat. “You’ve got some real love for Pokemon, cousin! You don’t find many kids your age who are interested in all of that.” Popplio barked in pride, which eased some of the awkwardness he’d been feeling. 

“Some advice, cousin,” Kukui says, pointing towards the trainer’s backpack. “Instead of writing everything down, you can have your Rotom Dex record or make a note of anything you need. Saves you a lot of time and trouble.”

“Bzzzt, that’s right!” Rotom exclaims, suddenly popping out of his backpack. “Just say the word and I’ll do it!”

Sun sent Rotom a smile. He knew he could always have his animated pokedex take notes for him, but he’s always preferred writing things down himself rather than typing or recording information electronically. He felt like he could translate his thoughts better through writing. 

Hau stretched his arms high above his head, joints popping loudly. “That really hit the spot!” He flashed a brilliant smile Kukui’s way. “Thanks for the treat, Professor!”

Sun and Lillie followed suit in giving their thanks. Kukui just waved them off. “It was my pleasure. You boys deserved it!” He turned towards Lillie. “You too, Lillie! You’ve been a real help to me. It’s about time I paid you back for all you’ve done.”

The shock on her face bleeds through into her voice. “Wha-ah, Professor, you don’t have to pay me back for anything! I should be the one thanking you! Without you…”

“Aw, shucks guys!” Hau suddenly spoke up, drawing their attention. “There’s no need to owe each other anything. We’re like family, after all!”

One of the many things Sun absolutely admired about his best friend was the way he could seamlessly bright joy and laughter into any given circumstance. His light nature never failed to make even the toughest, gloomiest people smile and relax. Gladion was proof of that. 

So when Hau let out a hearty laugh, there was no stopping everyone from following suit. Even their Pokemon joined in on the fun. 

“Family…” 

Sun perked up at the word. He turned and saw Lillie looking around their small group with something akin to...disbelief in her eyes?

Her eyes found their way to him. Having her full attention on him, Sun realized that the look in her eyes wasn’t of disbelief, but that of hope. Disbelief held a cold fearfulness to them and it wouldn’t have been surprising at all if Lillie actually did feel like that, given her family history. 

But her eyes held a warmth to them. A warmth that was the kindling for hope. A hope that perhaps even someone like her really could have people who genuinely cared for her as well. So long as she held onto that feeling, she would finally be able to believe in the prospect of family again. 

Sun gave Lillie a smile filled with hope and support, knowing it was exactly what she needed at that moment. She returned the gesture wholeheartedly. Their attention was brought back to their surroundings when Hau suggested snapping a quick shot of everyone for memory. Rotom zipped back out of Sun’s bag at hearing Hau mention something about taking pictures. 

Smiles were shared and laughter filled the room as pictures were taken all around. Kukui went to the counter to pay for their meal before informing them that he needed to get back to his lab. After saying their farewells, the trio made their way to the main district of Hau’oli City. 

“I wanna show you something at the department store, Ray!” Hau exclaimed as he raced toward the store, silently willing the other trainer to follow him. His fingers clutched the straps of his backpack tightly, but before he could let  _ that name _ ruin his good mood, he turned towards Lillie and asked, “Are you coming too?”

Lillie shook her head. “You guys go ahead. There was something I wanted to check out at the apparel shop.” Sun nodded, ignoring the disheartening tinged he felt. He hurried to catch up to Hau, who was looking frantically around the store like a Stoutland searching for buried treasure. It made a fond memory appear in his mind. This was exactly how Hau looked when he had dragged Sun all the way to this very same department store because he needed help picking out the absolute, most perfect ring for-

“It’s no use,” Hau spoke up, tearing Sun away from his thoughts. He turned towards him, his shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. “I saw this really cool item I wanted to show you, but I can’t find it. Maybe somebody else already bought it.”

Sun walked over and placed a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. He comforted and reassured him that they could always come back another day to see if the store has it again. He led Hau outside just as Lillie walked out of the apparel shop, a look of indecision on her face. 

“What’s wrong?” Sun asked. 

She jumped a little at his voice and turned towards them. “Oh, um…” She paused, seemingly thinking something over before shaking her head. “It’s nothing. Did you find what you were looking for?”

“No,” Hau said, the sound of defeat in his voice. It was gone as quickly as it came when he suddenly perked right up with a blinding grin and stated, “but I got something even better!”

He pulled out three small souvenirs bags and handed one to both Sun and Lillie while keeping the third for himself. “I picked these out earlier today and now’s a good a time as any to give them to you!”

Curiosity peaked, Sun opened the small bag and pulled out a bracelet with Alola’s traditional colors. As Sun turned it around in his hand, he saw that it had a mini sun attached to it. 

“I wanted each of us to have something to commemorate our friendship and the start of our journey together,” Hau says, holding up the bracelet he bought for himself. A miniature malasada was attached to it. “I even added something special to each of ours to represent us.”

Lillie held up her bracelet, which sported a miniature flower. “Our very own friendship bracelets.” She twirled it around her fingers; her eyes sparkling with joy. She quickly attached it to her wrist, with Hau and Sun following suit. They each showed off their bracelets, thanking Hau immensely for the thoughtful gift. 

“Let’s take a picture!” Hau says, and as if summoned by the very phrase, Rotom sprang to life. He barely gave the trio any warning before snapping a picture. Sun couldn’t help but laugh at Rotom’s enthusiasm. They all took their time admiring the picture before deciding to take a few more. Sun promised to make copies of the pictures, so the others could have them too. 

They spent the remainder of the day touring the entire city. Or rather, Hau and Lillie believed they were giving Sun a tour of the city while Sun just let his friends lead him wherever they wanted to. 

It was moments like this where Sun could fool himself into thinking he was back in his proper time, just hanging out and watching an entire day go by with his two best friends. Moments like this where they could just be kids having fun and not have to worry about anything or anyone. There were no battles that had to be fought, nor any paperwork that needed to be finished. It’s been so long, he’s almost forgot what it felt like to simply relax like this. 

As they journeyed through the city, Sun listened as Hau told tale after tale, story after story, about his grandfather and the city folk and just about anything he could possibly think of. He watched and admired all the little nuances and differences he spotted around the city that were never present from the time he’s from. All little changes he categorized for a later time, but for right now, as he breathed in that fresh Alolan breeze and watched the beating sun shine its last rays of light before dipping below the horizon, Sun wished for this day to never end. 

Alas, Sun was reluctantly coming to terms with the fact that his wishes were perhaps never meant to be fulfilled as a yawn escaped pass Hau’s lips and he turned towards his companions with a lazy smile. “Today sure went by fast.” He placed both of his hands behind his head in his signature easy-going pose. “I had a blast hanging with you guys! Let’s do that again soon!”

Both Lillie and he nodded in agreement. They all began making the short trek back home, with Hau waving them goodbye and Lillie deciding to linger a bit longer. 

“Um…” Lillie begins, trying to find her words. She reached into her bag and pulled something out. “I got this from the apparel shop and I…” Her eyes rose up to meet his, a sliver of shyness in them, as she extended the item towards him. “I wanted you to have it.”

Sun could feel his breath hitch in his throat when he saw it was a lens case. 

“I already have one of my own, so I thought you would like it,” she says, playing with the strap of her bag in a nervous gesture. “It looks like we have something else in common now, don’t we, Ray?”

To anyone else, they would have probably look at this lens case and think it was nothing more than an ordinary, perhaps even a bit senseless, gift. But to Sun, it was one of the most treasured items he possessed because it was the first gift Lillie had ever gotten for him. A gift he still kept close to him to this day. He would always take it out and spend an endlessly long period of time just staring at it during the days when the feelings of grief and distraught at Lillie’s disappearance became too much for him to bear. 

Such a small, inconsequential item, that ended up becoming something of a lifeline for him. Something to remind himself that Lillie had once been there and that he still had something he could always remember her by. 

He looked back up at her. His silence must have stretched on for longer than he had intended because she began looking worried, like she was beginning to think he didn’t like her gift. He quickly wanted to banish any trace of anxiety from her, but he found his throat closed up with thick emotions. His eyes even felt a bit watery. 

He wanted to blame the strong surge of intense emotions on just another result of being young again, but he knew he would have felt the same way regardless of what age he was. Only Lillie could bring about these warring emotions within him. 

“Thank you,” he says, finally managing to get the words out. A smile made its way onto his face and for once, it didn’t feel like a mask. It felt genuine, warm, whole. 

The corners of her lips turn up into a small smile every bit as genuine as his. Her eyes reflect her relief and happiness at knowing Sun had liked her gifted. She wishes him goodnight before journeying back to Kukui’s lab, reassuring him that she had enough repels to make it back safely on her own. 

Sun entered his house, greeting his mother and letting Popplio out of its pokeball. He talked to her for awhile about his day before eventually excusing himself to his room.

It was one of the most peaceful sleeps he’s had in a very long time. 

***

“Are you absolutely certain, Zossie?”

“One hundred percent!” Zossie says, swaying excitedly from side to side. She lifted her device up to show her taller partner. “See, Dulse? The aura measurements definitely spike whenever that kid with the hat is around. I think the readings are actually coming from  _ him _ .”

“The boy from the distant land…” Dulse mumbled, rising up from his crouched position behind the Pokemon Center. “It that really is the case, then that means that boy has somehow come into contact with an ultra wormhole or-”

“He could be the key we’ve been looking for!” Zossie cuts him off, excitement evident in her voice as she also rises to her feet. 

“It is far too early to tell,” Dulse reminds her. “In any case, we should keep an eye on him until we know for certain.”

Zossie nods and they quickly gather their belongings before moving on to their next location. They discuss about the mysterious boy with the hat along the way. 


	9. Chapter 9

By the time Sun made it to the Seaside Hotel on Route 2, the sun had properly rose above the horizon and filled Alola with is warmth and light. 

He had set out bright and early, making sure to leave a note for his mother so she wouldn’t worry, to get a head start on completing Illima’s trial. He knew for a fact that if he had any hope of leaving Melemele Island, he would first have to complete the trial and prove his worth to Kahuna Hala. Only then would he be granted permission to journey to the next island. 

It was for that very reason he had left by himself without informing anyone because as much as he would have loved having Hau and Lillie with him, he knew he could get everything over with much faster going at his own pace. 

He paused as he was about to make his way down to Big Wave Beach. The thought of his two closest friends essentially slowing him down caused guilt to wash over him. Of course they weren’t dragging him down, and of course it wasn’t their fault Sun was being overtly pampered by Kukui. He has to keep reminding himself that it was  _ nobody’s _ fault. Every trial goer is taken by the hand through the beginnings of their journey to ensure their success. 

But Sun couldn’t deny the fact that being on his own felt good too. Yesterday had been without a doubt the best day he has experienced since waking up in the past, and he would give anything to have everyday be like that. It was a pleasant lull in sequence; an escape from the truth he finds himself back in today. 

He found himself toying with the bracelet Hau had given him yesterday. He runs his fingers over the sun accessory attached to it, a gentle smile playing at his lips. Hau had never given him a gift like this before during his proper time. He had received a key chain, instead. Yet, the one thing the two different gifts had in common was that they both had a sun-shaped accessory or pin attached to them. 

Sun hadn’t remembered this fact until earlier this morning, where he had found himself playing with the bracelet as he waited for his Pokemon to be restored to full health at the Pokemon Center. A minor detail, but he still couldn’t believe he had forgotten about it. That key chain was important because Hau had gifted it to him during Sun’s one year anniversary of moving to Alola. He still kept it with him just like he kept the lens case Lillie had given him. 

The sun pin gave rise to a small glimmer of hope within him. Even though Hau still called him by  _ that name _ , the fact that he had still given Sun the exact same accessory as he eventually does in the future has to be proof of something, right? It had to be some kind of sign that maybe things weren’t as different as the trainer had initially thought. Or at the very least, that things were heading down the right path. 

He pulled his attention away from his bracelet and back towards the beach further down. He debated whether or not he should take some time to scribble down more notes about all of his different findings, but decides against it. Waking up early had granted him plenty of time to thoroughly explore Hau’oli City and check out all of the differences he had mentally categorized yesterday and then some. From every small speck of detail pertaining to key landmarks, to the majorly obvious changes such as the brand new photography shop next to the malasada restaurant, to even to all of the Pokemon that make their home in the tall grasses of the city.

Rummaging around the tall grasses searching for Pokemon was quickly becoming Sun’s favorite hobby because it made him feel so incredibly comfortable and  _ normal _ that he could allow himself to pretend he was participating in another routine inspection like he always does as Kukui’s assistant. It even helps keep his memory about all of the information he’s gathered on Pokemon throughout the years sharp. 

Although, there were times when his memory fails him. Just earlier this morning, Sun nearly had a panic attack when he had encountered an Abra and couldn’t for the life of him remember if Abras were even native to the tall grasses of Hau’oli City or not. Whenever these brief lapses in memory occur, he would quickly whip out his notepad and jot it down to ensure he never forgets again. He even has Rotom take several pictures of various things to help Sun better organize his thoughts and speculations. 

Speaking of Rotom, as though summoned by the very thought itself, his trusty pokedex sprung out of his bag with whirling fanfare. “Heyzz, buddy!” it greets enthusiastically. “Want me to take some picturezz for you? Or tell you a cool tip?”

“No, Rotom,” Sun says, a mixture of fondness and exasperation. “I’m good.” 

Besides, with the rate Sun was filling up the pages in his notepad, he would be needing a new one fairly soon. He takes one last look at Big Wave Beach, promising himself to come back here once he’s finished Illima’s trial, before turning around and making his way to Verdant Cavern. 

***

Route 2 provided excellent training for Sun’s team as he neared the Pokemon Center located just a short distance from Verdant Cave. If his predictions were accurate, Popplio would be nearing its second evolutionary stage in no time at all. Although, he still had to work out a routine during the evening if he wanted his Rockruff to evolve into its highly anticipated Dusk form. 

He made sure to take occasional breaks to rest up his team and feed them some much deserved pokebeans. Both Popplio and Rockruff gobbled the tasty snacks up immediately, making Sun laugh at their precious antics. Seeing the two play together brought forth memories of his Torracat and other Rockruff playing together too, since Litten had already evolved by the time he added Rockruff to his party. He could already feel himself forming a strong bond with his new Pokemon, as strong as the one he had with his original team. 

However, he felt an absence of sorts. During his initial island challenge, by the time he had reached Verdant Cavern, he had three Pokemon on his team. Litten, Pikipek, and Gastly. Before he had reached the Seaside Hotels, he had stopped by the cemetery. He didn’t enter, but that didn’t stop the flood of longing that struck him when he remembered his beloved Haunter. 

As a child, he had always thought that the Gastly evolution line were the coolest Pokemon in all of Kanto. He had always wanted one of his own, and when he saw a glimpse of a Gastly hovering above the tall grass inside the cemetery, he knew he had to capture it. 

Haunter proved invaluable to his team and brought a new charm to the other Pokemon. He remembered how indecisive and saddened he had felt upon learning the truth to evolving Haunter into a Gengar. He eventually decided to keep his ghost Pokemon the way it was, deciding that he preferred Haunter over Gengar anyways. 

As Popplio and Rockruff continued to play and munch on Pokebeans, Sun decided that maybe it was about time to find another member for their team. He recalled both Pokemon into their respective pokeballs and trek the last short distance up to the Pokemon Center, listening to Rotom’s helpful yet unwarranted advice the entire way. 

Just as he’s finished healing his Pokemon and ordering some Tapu Cocoa, a young Lass walks right up to him. “Excuse me,” she says. Sun turned towards her. “Alola! I couldn’t help but notice the amulet hanging from your bag. Are you a trainer?”

Sun nods, which causes the Lass to brighten up. “Great! You see, I’ve been wanting a Spearow, but they’re just so hard to catch. Would you mind catching one for me?”

This wouldn’t be the first time someone has asked Sun for help in catching a Pokemon, so he nods in acceptance. “Thank you!” she cheers. “Of course, I don’t expect you to agree without getting something in return.” 

Before Sun could open his mouth and state that he really doesn’t need or want anything in return, the Lass suddenly clasp both of her hands together with a resounding  _ clap _ , causing him to jump slightly into the air. “If you bring me a Spearow, I’ll trade you my Hawlucha. How does that sound?”

Sun nearly drops his Tapu Cocoa on the floor at hearing her declaration. A Spearow for a  _ Hawlucha _ ? That didn’t seem like a fair trade, but Sun wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. And just when he was contemplating on getting a new Pokemon for his team too. Fate certainly chose a funny time to be coincidental. 

He nearly burned his throat in his hurry to finish his drink before darting out of the Center. Sun remembered encountering a trainer who had a Hawlucha during his time studying abroad in Kalos and immediately became intrigued by it. It would make a fantastic addition to his team because its typing would help balance out Popplio’s and Rockruff’s shortcomings. 

He’s barely taken a couple steps before suddenly coming to an abrupt stop. There, just outside the entrance to Verdant Caverns, were the two mysterious strangers that wore those weird cybernetic-looking suits. 

Sun felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise just at the sight of the tall man and his short female companion. It’s been awhile since he last saw them that they had nearly slipped his mind entirely. 

“So this is Verdant Cavern…” the tall man spoke. He turned towards his companion. “It is one of the places in this land filled with the Blinding One’s power...”

There was that term again;  _ The Blinding One _ . Just who exactly were these people? Sun had to find out. 

He slowly made his way towards them as the short girl began to speak. “Yup! The aura levels are really high!” Her voice was pitched high in what sounded like excitement. 

“Calm yourself, Zossie.” The tall man chided his companion. “It will be difficult for us to investigate it, though, since we do not use Pokemon of our own. We will have to think of some other way.”

So, the shorter girl’s name was Zossie and she once again mentioned something about aura levels. Sun stopped short just before reaching them. Maybe it would be better if he didn’t engage them just yet. He still had no idea what these people were capable of. 

He sneaked closer to some bushes nearby and kneeled behind them. He pulled out his notepad and wrote down everything they had just mentioned. 

“Perhaps we could use our technology to find a way to control Pokemon…” the tall man continued on, raising a hand up to his face in contemplation. 

“Maybe I could go in as a trial-goer?” Zossie said. “Take on the trial and everything?” Then she seemed to think better of what she said. “Though I don’t have one of those island challenge amulet thingies…”

It seemed these guys did their research about the island challenge and other general Alolan customs. But why were they gathering such information? What purpose did it serve them? If they’ve been traveling all over Melemele Island gathering information and searching for locations that supposedly have high aura levels, then why hasn’t Sun heard more people mentioning them? Surely strange people such as them would attract a lot of attention from the locals. Were they able to keep themselves hidden by some type of technology they used?

“There is no need for that,” the tall man said. He turns his attention back towards Verdant Cavern, and after a moment of silence, he speaks up again. “Perhaps the reason the aura levels are so high is because that boy could be nearby…”

_ That boy _ ? Sun furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.  _ Who is he talking about _ ?

The man shakes his head, as though perishing the thought from his mind. “Come Zossie,” he says, “let us continue on.”

They begin walking away without another word. Sun jumps out from his hiding spot, calling for Rotom to come out of his bag. 

“Take a picture of those two,” he orders. Rotom complies, snapping a series of shots in quick succession. Sun watches as they go, warring with himself on what the best course of action would be. They weren’t heading into Verdant Cavern, rather they were heading farther up the path. If memory serves, that path would remain barricaded until a challenger completed Illima’s trial. If Sun acted now, he could corner the two and get them to-

“Yo, Ray!”

A familiar voice called out and it was  _ only  _ because of recognizing that voice does Sun stop in his tracks and turn around. 

Hau came bounding towards him with his ever-present smile on his face. “Howzit, Ray?” he says, as he finally comes to a stop in front of his friend. 

_ Does Hau even think of me as his best friend? _ Sun thinks before dismissing the thought. That wasn’t important right now. 

“We’ve been looking all over for you, man!” Hau exclaims. “Lillie told us that when she went to your house to get you, your mom had told her that you’d already left for Illima’s trial! I didn’t think-”

“Hau,” Sun says, cutting his friend off mid-ramble. He hated interrupting people, but he could make an exception this time. Time was of the essence, after all. “I saw those weird looking people again.”

Hau tilts his head in confusion. “What weird looking people?”

He called for Rotom and asked it to show his best friend the pictures it had taken. “These were the same guys I saw hanging around the entrance to Iki Town on the day of the festival,” Sun explains. “I told Kahuna Hala and Kukui about them and now they were just here checking out Verdant Cavern.”

He pointed towards the way they had gone. “They went that way towards a dead end. If we go now, we can catch up to them.”

“But what are we-” 

“Come on, Hau!” he cuts off his best friend again. Sun doesn’t give him any other warning before turning around and running off towards the direction Zossie and her companion had gone. 

“Hey, wait for me!” Hau shouts after him before racing to catch up. 

Once they reach the barricade, the two strangers were nowhere to be found. Sun cannot even begin to describe the feeling of disbelief running through him as he turned this way and that, movements wild and eyes searching. 

“I don’t see them…” Hau spoke up, stopping his search to cast his worry gaze at Sun. 

_ That’s not possible _ , Sun thinks. There was nowhere else they could have possibly gone, and there was certainly no way they would have been granted access to pass through without permission from Illima himself. The only other way they could have gone is back from the way they came, but if they had done that Sun would have seen them. It was as if they had simply vanished into thin air. 

“I saw them go this way…” is all Sun was able to say. He looked back at Hau, who wore a similar expression of disbelief as him. 

“You think maybe we just missed them?” Hau asked. 

Sun shakes his head. He still searched the area even though he knew it would be pointless. He racks his brain for any possible explanation. It was very apparent from their appearance and their talks about trying to control Pokemon that they possessed technology that either rivaled or even surpassed their own. It could very well be in the realm of possibility that they’re able to conceal their presence somehow. It might even explain how they haven’t been spotted by any of the locals too. 

“We need to tell Illima about this,” he says to Hau. While they’re at it, they might as well bring this up to Kukui and Hala again too. Sun can’t fully explain why, but something within him knows this could spell disaster if left unchecked. 

“Then we’d better hurry up and complete the trial,” Hau says, smile plastered on his face and easy-going attitude back in place. His carefree demeanor was one of the many aspects Sun admired about his best friend. Stay in Hau’s presence long enough, and soon everyone will end up adopting his contagious attitude. Unless that someone is Gladion, but mark Sun’s words when he says that even the infamously subdued Aether CEO cannot resist Hau’s charms. 

It’s enough to bring a smile to Sun’s face, slight as though it may be. They agree to meet up after completing the trial before heading their separate ways, with Hau heading back towards the Pokemon Center to heal up his Pokemon and Sun staying put for a moment as he watches his friend go. 

“Rotom,” Sun calls. Rotom appeared out of his bag and hovered in front of him. “Could you make a note about the strangers and how they vanished?”

“Kzzrt, sure thing!” Rotom replies cheerfully. “I can do a whole bunch of stuff! Wanna seez?”

“Maybe later.” Sun instantly feels bad when the reply caused Rotom’s expression to fall. He puts on a gentle smile as he tries to reassure his partner, “Let’s get this trial over with first and then you can show me all the great things you can do for as long as you want, okay?”

That cheered Rotom right back up and caused his partner to spin in joy. “You got it! Zzzzt-zzzzrt!” Sun doesn’t know if it was a trick of the light, but for a moment there he thought he saw Rotom’s eyes light up. It was gone as quickly as it happened. 

He shakes his head, deciding to just add that to the list of things he’ll ask Rotom about later. For now, Rotom retreats back into his bag and Sun heads off towards Verdant Cavern.

***

A wave of nostalgia settled over Sun as he swiftly flew through the trial with ease. It was nice to know the trial remained relatively the same. Although, his memory was a bit vague since it has been a long time since he had first attempted it. Even dealing with the Team Skull grunts again left Sun feeling fondly amused by their antics. Once Team Skull had been disbanded, every member had been given a fresh start and a new purpose. Some were even re-institutionalized into the island challenge, while others had found a job at the Aether Foundation with the help of Gladion. It’s been so long that Sun honestly almost forgot Team Skull was ever a thing. 

But none of those feelings could ever top what he felt the moment he defeated the Totem Pokemon and saw Popplio begin to evolve. 

A burst of overwhelming happiness and pride filled him to the brim when the dazzling evolution light faded and Brionne was there, letting out a wondrous cheer. The smile that stretched across his face was so wide that Sun thought his face would split apart. He instantly picked Brionne up and wrapped it in his arms. A memory of Moon crystallized in his mind. Of the day when she came home holding her newly evolved Brionne in her arms and showing it off to everyone with the biggest smile on her face. 

Sun held onto Brionne that much tighter, and in that one spark of a moment, he felt as though he were holding onto Moon as well. It felt like she was there with him and it made the heaviness that clung to him ease up just a little bit. 

The Totem Gumshoos disappeared back into the cave, and just as Sun had returned Brionne to its pokeball, Illima appeared from the shadows. “What an incredible trainer you are!” he said, as he made his way towards him. “For you to be able to defeat the Totem Pokemon that I had trained up to such a powerful state...I don’t know what I can say!”

“By working in harmony with your Pokemon, you have passed my trial,” Illima says. “Congratulations, Ray! The Z-Crystal from the pedestal is yours now!” 

Sun retrieved the Normalium-Z, holding it tightly in his hand. Illima proceeded to show him how to perform the pose that would allow him to execute the Normal Z-Crystal before offering to heal up his Pokemon. 

“If we’re done here, there’s something interesting I would like to show you on Route 3. Come with me,” Illima says before turning around and leaving. Sun opened his mouth to call out to the captain before closing it. Illima wasted no time in getting things done. He’ll just have to tell him about the strangers when he heads over to Route 3. 

He remembers the promise he made to the Lass about catching a Spearow for her the moment he steps out of Verdant Cavern. He checked the nearby tall grasses and thanks his lucky stars when he manages to find and capture a wild Spearow. 

He headed straight for the Pokemon Center and delivered the Spearow over to the Lass. She thanked him immensely, and as promised, traded over her Hawlucha. 

“It’s name is Cha,” she informs him. “Take good care of it!”

_ Cha _ . He tossed the name around in his mind. Not the name he would have personally gone with, but he guesses he can roll with it. 

He made sure his Pokemon were all healed up before heading outside and releasing them all from their pokeballs. Brionne and Rockruff instantly went up to greet their new addition to the team. Cha observed his new teammates and trainer with a critical eye, but after some soft encouragements and tasty pokebeans, it immediately relaxed and warmed up to them. 

“This callz for a celebratory picture, Bzzzt!” Rotom announces and Sun couldn’t agree more. 

“Alright guys,” Sun calls to get their attention. “Gather up.”

They all come bounding towards him, their cheers becoming mingled up in excitement. Once they were all settled, Sun gave Rotom the cue to snap the shot. 

He knows without even seeing the picture that it was going to be a keeper, but he still marvels at it nonetheless. He takes turns showing it to each of his Pokemon, who all jump with joy. They love how it came out just as much as Sun does. 

He spends some more time getting to know Cha and congratulating his team on a job well done before eventually returning them all to their respective pokeballs. He makes sure to praise Rotom too, as it was just as much a part of the team as any of the others are. Sun does one finally look-over to ensure he has everything he needs before setting out for Route 3, hoping to finally tell Illima everything pertaining to Zossie and her strange companion. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! My new semester has started, so it may take longer for me to update than I would like. I'll be posting longer chapters to make up for that and probably cut some corners to speed things along. 
> 
> Brief Disclaimer: This chapter contains descriptions of panic attacks/breakdown, so please be advised if that's triggering for you. 
> 
> Other than that, I hope you enjoy!

Sometimes, Sun forgets just how much mischief and mayhem Nebby used to cause back when it was just a small, unassuming Cosmog. Always escaping out of Lillie’s bag and floating off to wherever its’ whimsical curiosity would lead it while disregarding all caution towards itself. However, Sun couldn’t help but see the true Legendary hidden beneath Cosmog’s delicate appearance. It just showed him that Nebby never loses that free-spirit it has or how it likes to thrash about and cause trouble at times, even after it evolves into Solgaleo. 

He never did feel right keeping Solgaleo bound within a pokeball, even though the Legendary never expressed any ill will towards its confinements. So, instead, they made a compromise. Solgaleo would remain with Sun inside its pokeball, however, if it ever desired to be free so it could return to its role of ensuring Alola’s safety, then Sun would gladly release it without any problems. Solgaleo always returned to him eventually, as it genuinely enjoyed being in its trainer’s presence just as much as Sun enjoyed being in its. 

It was so obvious to Sun now as he watched Nebby wandering around carefree. Stars coated within nebula were never meant to be shackled and bound. They were meant to shine and flare, brighten the universe and draw all of creation into its orbit just like the sun. 

Unfortunately, waxing poetics wasn’t going to persuade Nebby to return to Lillie’s bag anytime soon. 

Sun was glad he decided to stop by Melemele Meadow instead of returning back home like he’d originally intended, otherwise Nebby would have wandered too far away from Lillie and end up getting lost or attacked by wild Pokemon again. Though he wasn’t too thrilled about having to crawl on his hands and knees to try to squeeze through a narrow opening within the Meadow that leads into Seaward Cave. 

It isn’t long until he locates Nebby, grateful that the Pokemon didn’t venture farther into the cave. Nebby cheers at seeing him and floats over towards him. Sun bends down to give the little troublemaker a smile, knowing he should admonish it but not having the heart to do it. 

“Phew...running around like this sure is tiring!”

Sun jolts back up at the sudden intrusion and his eyes widen at seeing none other than Zossie and her strange companion. 

She seemed to notice him at the same time, as her mouth opens in shock as well. “Whoa! So the people of Alola meet in places like this, too, huh?”

Both strangers then proceed to move their arms, forming the shape of a square in front of them. Sun’s eyebrows knitted in confusion at the bizarre gesture, not understanding what it was meant to imply. 

“Where are my manners? I’m Zossie!” the young girl exclaims. She points to her companion. “And this is-”

“I am Dulse,” the taller man interjects. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

He immediately placed himself in front of Nebby, shielding it from these mysterious individuals. Who knows what these guys were after, and Sun wasn’t about to let these guys get their hands on a unique Pokemon like Nebby. He didn’t want to run the risk of them finding out the kind of power Nebby held and exploit that. 

“Do not be alarmed,” Dulse says. “There is only one thing we are here to confirm and that is finding someone strong enough to protect the Blinding One.”

The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end at hearing that name again. Before he even has the chance to open his mouth and ask just who in the ever-loving Barbaracle that was, Dulse suddenly pulls out a spherical object from somewhere within his suit and thrusts his arm forwarding, declaring, “Now, let us see if you are the one!”

Sun is given no other pretense before a battle ensues. He ushers Nebby further behind him just as Dulse sends out a Furfrou from a  _ Beast Ball _ of all things. 

Sun’s rendered speechless even as he sends out Cha. A Beast Ball was a specialized pokeball created for the sole purpose of catching Ultra Beasts. They had a humiliatingly low chance of catching any other type of Pokemon, though it wasn’t entirely impossible. Where and how did these guys get their hands on them? Did they obtain it from the Aether Foundation? If so, then by who-

Sun’s inner monologue was interrupted when Furfrou lunges at Cha, who swiftly dodges the attack. The battle doesn’t last long, albeit the Furfrou does manage to throw Cha off its game more times than he would have liked due to it growling at Cha and throwing sand in its eyes. 

“I see…” Dulse says, as he recalls Furfrou. “So that is a Pokemon battle…”

Sun recalls Cha, not taking his eyes off of his opponent. If memory serves, he overheard these guys mention trying to find some way to utilize their pokeball technology in order to control Pokemon. But that wasn’t too long ago, so how could they have come into possession of Ultra Balls so quickly? Could it be they had it on their persons the whole time, but just didn’t realize their practicality? That wouldn’t make sense if they had received the Beast Balls from the Aether Foundation though, unless they simply weren’t told of its uses. 

Sun snaps back to reality when Dulse speaks up. “We had tried to investigate what it meant to battle with Pokemon, but it is quite different when you do it yourself. At least it seems that the pokeball we tried to create has worked properly to capture a Pokemon here in Alola.”

The trainer’s mind was storming so fast it would have put Deoxys’ speed form to shame with the way it vigorously tried to process all of the information being thrown his way. One of the things that stood out from the onslaught of information was the insinuation that  _ they  _ had created the Beast Ball, or at the very least, contributed to its development. Did this mean that they were possibly in cahoots with the Aether Foundation?

“You are undoubtedly strong, young Alolan trainer,” Dulse commends him. Sun responses to the praise with a hard gaze. 

“So, Dulse, what’re we gonna do?” Zossie suddenly speaks up after having remained quiet during the entire time. 

Dulse keeps his unwavering gaze directed at Sun. “Trainer, you should know..” he raises an arm and points directly at Nebby, who was still safely behind Sun. The mere gesture puts him even more on edge than he already was. “This one here warps away if it is threatened in any way, and the holes that are torn open as a result invite dangerous beings into this world.” His arm drops back to his side. “But perhaps things will be alright as long as there are trainers like you in Alola…”

How does he know about Nebby and what it can do? How does he know about Ultra Wormholes? And when he mentions dangerous beings, was he referring to Ultra Beasts? So many questions, all of them whirring and shifting through Sun’s mind in a frantic attempt to thread all of the endless amount of strings together to somehow come up with a plausible woven solution. 

One thing seemed to slide into place in his mind. One hypothesis among the cluster of hundreds that shone through the madness and presented itself to him in a cohesive manner. All their talks insinuating Ultra Wormholes and Beasts, about clearing not being from  _ this  _ Alola, could it be that these guys were actually from a different reality? A reality alternate from their own? 

Sun has spent years with Professor Burnet unraveling the mythos and truth behind Ultra Wormholes and the Ultra Beasts that appeared from them. Spent hours pouring over every theory and source in existence that could bring them one step closer to understanding their function, purpose, and what possibly could be beyond their void. To bring them one step closer in understanding what could be beyond their  _ reality  _ as they knew it. 

Travel through a Wormhole was indeed proven possible by the evidence of Looker and his partner Anabel. Those people were classified as Fallers. Heck, Sun was sucked into an Ultra Wormhole by Solgaleo and that’s how he ended up travelling back in time-

A sudden chill freezes Sun to his core when that thought crossed his mind. Then the world dropped from below him as he was swallowed up by the daunting realization. 

The sudden shift to his world granted him no mercy, as Zossie’s next words only furthered to heighten his panic. “What about that girl, though?”

Something flared up within him at hearing that question, and Sun’s attention immediately snapped back towards the two, sharpening with a ferocity at Dulse’s response. “That girl should have nothing to do with our investigations, nor this Pokemon of hers. As long as no one is foolish enough to open a path that could lead here from Megalo Tower.” 

Sun’s heart was beating so fast he feared it would shred its way through his chest. There was no question in his mind that they were referring to Lillie. That flare within him nearly morphed into a near eruption at the thought of these people potentially doing something to Lillie. His hands balled into tight fists at his sides, fingers digging deep into his palms and nearly breaking skin. If these freaks so much as  _ dared _ -

“Let us be off, Zossie,” Dulse states. They both do those strange hand gestures once more before turning on their heels and leaving the way they had arrived. 

“Wait!” Sun called out. 

They turned back towards him. Sun had to reign in and steady his breathing, trying to push down the sudden white hot anger that simmered under his skin. This may be his only chance at getting answers. He couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. 

“Just who are you people?” Sun asks. “And where did you come from?”

Zossie’s the one who answers. “We’re the Ultra Recon Squad, silly!”

“And we are from somewhere not native to Alola,” concludes Dulse. 

Sun’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion, and he felt himself starting to become annoyed. None of that helped him understand these two any better whatsoever. He squares his jaw, trying to sift through the plethora of questions he had and decide which ones deserved prevalence over the others. 

“It is not surprising that you have questions,” Dulse interjects before he could ask anything else. “However, now is neither the time nor place to be asking those questions. You should concentrate on your island challenge. I bid you farewell.”

“No, stop!” Sun yells, but his protests fall on deaf ears. Dulse and Zossie turn away from him and begin walking away. 

“Are you working with the Aether Foundation?” Sun calls out again, desperation slowly creeping into his voice. If they vanish, he’ll never get what he wants. “How do you-” he stops when he realizes it would be futile to continue screaming at them. He clicks his tongue as he readies to bolt after them. 

“Pew!” 

He jerks to an abrupt halt. He spins around to see Nebby chasing after him, crying out with a look of apprehension dawning its face. The expression causes Sun to stall and hesitate for a split second, which ends up costing him big time when he turns and feels his heart sink when Dulse and Zossie are nowhere to be seen. 

_ No, no, no! _ is all that runs through his mind as he stumbles forward with an almost unhinged desperation, whipping his head around in all directions so fast he was sure to give himself whiplash. They couldn’t have disappeared so quickly yet again. Sun should’ve chased after them when he had the chance. He shouldn’t have stopped. He should’ve...he should’ve…

“...pew?”

Nebby slowly moved closer to him. Sun could feel himself turn his head down towards the small Pokemon, almost as though he were a puppet and someone else was pulling his strings. The action felt sluggish, yet mechanical all at once. Sun blinks and his breath hitches; a memory of a cold world with even colder truths coalescing around his neck and tightening like a noose. He blinks again and he’s back in Seaward Cave; his breathing mellowing out as Alola steadies back on its axis. 

He bends down to scoop Nebby into his arms. The Pokemon cries out in surprise before immediately relaxing into the embrace. He wastes no time getting them out and heading back to where Lillie was patiently waiting. If his arms shook as he tucked the Pokemon closer and wrapped his arms tighter around it, then Nebby made no protest. Sun couldn’t help it. He never did like being stuck in cold, dark caves for too long anyways. 

“Oh, Nebby!” Lillie says, relief evident in her voice as Sun gently places the Pokemon down. He’s slow to right himself and almost hesitates before bringing his eyes up to connect with Lillie’s. Though the gratitude on her face was more than enough to alleviate some of the pressure weighing on him. 

“Thank you Ray,” she says, crashing that same weight right back down on him. She offers to heal his Pokemon as thanks, to which he gives into without any fanfare. 

“You know, I read something interesting in a book once…” Lillie brings up suddenly. “There’s a Pokemon called Oricorio that changes its appearance by feeding on the nectar from different types of flowers. It’s not actually evolving but undergoing a so-called ‘form change.’” She gives him a small, shy smile. “Isn’t that interesting?”

Sun blinks and has to take a moment to fish his mind out of the void its fallen into. It takes another second for him to kick-start his brain and actually rephrase what Lillie had asked him.

Of course he knew about Oricorios and all of its different form changes. It was one of the main Pokemon he used as reference when drafting this thesis on regional variants and Pokemon evolutions. It proved to be a great antithesis for his research. 

Outwardly, Sun just nods. He mentally kicked himself for being so out of it. He really needed to get a grip and focus, but it was proving immensely difficult. Although, he had to hand it to Lillie. Randomly bringing up a topic Sun had an in depth knowledge of, though she couldn’t have possibly known that, was a sure-fire way to pull his attention out of the hollow slump he found himself in. 

Except seeing Lillie chide Nebby and ask it to kindly return inside her bag made a harrowing thought cross his mind. A thought he absolutely did  _ not  _ want to think about at this moment, but couldn’t stop his mind from conjuring it up anyways. 

He thought about Nebby with it's not-so mysterious power and how that related to Lillie. About that power being able to open up Ultra Wormholes. About people falling through Ultra Wormholes and coming out the other end a Faller. About the infinite potentials and realities that lay beyond the void within an Ultra Wormhole. 

About him falling through time when Solgaleo lost control and opened up a Wormhole. About Lillie and her mother suddenly vanishing without a trace one day, never to be seen or heard from ever again in over two years. 

Sun could feel the tell-tale signs of panic begin to set in and he desperately tries to fight it off. He sinks a sharp hook deeply into his brain and reels it back from the deep oceans it was drowning in. Forced his train of thought to go down any other railroad  _ but  _ the one it was trying to hurtle towards because Sun knew that if he let those thoughts linger for even a fraction of a second longer, he would lose himself right here in front of Lillie.

He didn’t want to break down in front of Lillie. Didn’t want to lose himself to the very thought - to the very  _ implication _ \- that was boiling and festering inside of him with such searing vengeance he was sure he would combust without a moment’s notice if he didn’t get a hold of himself. 

“Ray?”

Why did he keep responding to  _ that name _ ? Why couldn’t he have mercy on himself and just scream at the top of his lungs from atop Mount Lanakila and tell the whole world his true name. Why did Sun let any of this go on for as long as it had?

And why in the name of Arceus was it that when he looked up into a meadow of sunlight and gems of emerald and heard  _ that name  _ spill from Lillie’s lips, it made him want to believe it was true. That he wouldn’t mind being Ray if it made Lillie smile that shy, endearing smile and be near him, alive and happy. 

Because Sun would do anything if it made Lillie happy, wouldn’t he? Even if it meant stringing up the moon and stars and tearing a rift in space and time itself so they could travel to another dimension to stop her crazy possessed mother. 

“Ray, are you okay?” 

“Pew!” 

Sun takes a deep breath, hating the way it hitches and stalls in lungs before finally being released after a count to ten. It’s been awhile since he’s had to do this, but he remembers the steps Kukui had talked him through during the times he found Sun overwhelmed or just having one of those bad days. He subconsciously tugs and fiddles with his bracelet as he rigorously conjures up any random or irrelevant facts to distract himself. 

“A-Ah, I can get the Professor!” Lillie starts, voice wavering as Sun’s silence begins to unsettle her. “Oh no, he’s not answering! What should I do Nebby?” She looks to her partner, who simply cries out in response. 

Logically, Sun knows that he’s staring at Lillie and can hear everything she’s saying, but mentally he might as well be light years away. He was having that out-of-body experience again just like back when he saved Nebby from that collapsing bridge and was then rescued by Tapu Koko. Everything just felt sluggish and disconnected. 

But he also knows that when Lillie sees someone acting strange or panicking, it sets off her nerves as well. Sun doesn’t want to make Lillie feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable, but when he blinks and looks at her, he doesn’t see Lillie the way she is now. 

A flash and suddenly an older Lillie is standing across from him, smile stretched wide and dazzling. Her hair sways ever-so slightly in her ponytail when she tilts her head in laughter and amusement. She held a crushed yellow flower in her hand, inspecting it with that awestruck glint in her eyes Sun loved so much. 

_ “I have something for you,” Sun says, as he opens his bag and rummages through it. He can feel Lillie’s curious gaze on him as he finally pulls out what he’s been saving all day to give to her.  _

_ Except when he pulls out the flower he had picked earlier that day, he finds it half crushed and a few of the petals had fallen off. Sun’s heart immediately sinks at seeing the gift ruined, but Lillie had the exact opposite reaction.  _

_ She gasps and gently takes it from his hand, examining it with an awestruck glint that never failed to make Sun’s heart soar.  _

_ “What type of flower is it?” she asks.  _

_ “It’s a-” _

Sun feels his entire world lurch when two hands grab onto his shoulders and shake with a surprisingly tremendous amount of force, given the person who was doing the shaking. He instinctively reaches out to steady himself by grabbing one of the arms holding him and it’s the contact that succeeds in anchoring him back to reality. 

“O-oh, I’m sorry!” Lillie states a bit too loudly, as she quickly snatches her arms back as if she had been burned. “I didn’t mean to startle you! I-um,” she fumbles with her words for a brief moment before settling on, “But you were just staring at me and not moving and it was really freaking me out and I thought maybe if I-”

“It’s okay,” the words are out of his mouth before he even registers them, and  _ wow _ , was his voice hoarse. He clears his throat and shakes the last vestiges of that memory from his mind. He takes another deep breath to fully compose himself before finding the strength to look at Lillie and  _ really  _ see her. The one who’s with him now and not the dream that once brought solace and joy, but now only brought sorrow and pain. 

“I’m okay,” he lies straight through his teeth, and it hurt more than being punched straight in the gut by a Hitmonchan. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” he tells her, truthfully. 

Lillie seemed to relax after hearing that. “You just stopped so suddenly. It was like, um, you’d completely shut down or something…”

The guilt that began tearing threw him at seeing Lillie so frightened and worried made him feel absolutely horrible. Today was quickly morphing into one of the worst days Sun’s had to experience. 

“Let’s get out of here,” he says instead. Lillie doesn’t offer a protest and quietly follows the trainer out of the Meadows. 

They immediately run into Hau, who had just finished Illima’s trial. Usually, seeing his best friend would cheer Sun up in no time whatsoever, so when he felt nothing but indifference at seeing Hau, that was his first indicator that something was still not quite right with him.

The second, more obvious one, was when he declined Hau’s challenge to a battle. He doesn’t blame his best friend for being caught off guard. A battle would prove to be a great distraction, but Sun knew his heart wouldn’t be in it and it wouldn’t be fair to Hau. 

Kukui shows up too, wasting no time on congratulating both trainers on completing the trial. Kukui and Hau engage in conversation, but Sun mostly blocks all of it out. He felt incredible exhausted all of a sudden. He wanted nothing more than to go straight home and sleep the rest of the day away. Another indicator to Sun that something wasn’t right with him. 

He feels a slight nudge to his side a second before Kukui’s voice reaches his ears. He looks up towards the older man, tilting his head in a silent gesture for Kukui to repeat what he had said. 

“I asked if you felt ready to face off against the Kahuna, cousin.” Kukui laughs before adding, “Must’ve been dreaming about it as we were talking, yeah?”

Something within Sun rubs him the wrong way. Normally, Kukui would’ve known from a single glance if something was bothering the trainer. He would’ve been able to figure it out and be there with a gentle voice and open arms before he even uttered a single word. Heck, there were times where Kukui would’ve instinctively realized what was wrong with him before Sun even knew  _ himself _ . 

He shouldn’t even be surprised at this point. Apathy was a dangerous poison to allow to coarse through one’s body and Sun felt himself dangerously approaching the edge of an overdose. 

Sun just nods and smiles, wrapping the plastic of his facade tighter around his face. They won’t notice. Nobody ever does. 

“I’m gonna go home,” Sun speaks up, drawing everyone’s attention. “Get some rest for tomorrow.”

“Good idea, cousin!” Kukui says, before directing his attention towards Hau. “You should go home and rest too, Hau. You’ve both got a big day tomorrow.”

“Okay!” Hau replies. Before leaving, he turns to Sun and asks, “I still want to battle you soon. How about after we defeat the Kahuna, yeah?”

Sun just nods, which was enough to appease Hau. Hopefully, he feels more like himself tomorrow.

They all begin heading their separate ways. Lillie tries to hang back, but Sun doesn’t give her the chance. On any other day, he would have loved being in Lillie’s presence, but he knows what she was going to ask him and he really wasn’t in the mood to talk about it, especially with her of all people. He certainly didn’t want to lie to Lillie’s face again if he could avoid it at all possible. 

“See you tomorrow,” he says quietly before walking away, ignoring the wallowing ache that consumes him with each step he takes away from her. 

***

Sun drops himself heavily onto his desk chair and rubs a hand down his face. He reaches into his bag and pulls out his notepad, knowing he shouldn’t plunge himself back into the cold abyss but also knowing that if he didn’t give an outlet for these thoughts, it’ll consume him whole. 

He makes quick notes about Zossie and Dulse, everything they mentioned, their possible ties to the Aether Foundation, the Beast Balls, and their possible connection to Ultra Wormholes. 

Then he writes  **_FALLER_ ** in big letters, and from there, his thoughts flow out of him. 

He writes down everything he knows about Fallers and Ultra Wormholes. About what they were and their connection to one another. About all their advancements in understanding the very nature of these unstable portals to the Ultra Space and their success at locating even more victims who’ve become Fallers. He writes down every Faller that he’s come to know:  **_Looker, Anabel_ ** -

He stops from listing himself, as his hands continue to tremble and his heart continues to pound. He knows the glaring fact. Knows that all the signs except one were pointing to him being a Faller but he just  _ can’t _ -

One point of commonality between all Fallers is that they don’t retain their memories after falling through a wormhole. They will eventually regain their memories, but not until a much later time. But Sun still retains all of his memories, albeit some were more hazy than others. So just that one difference should be enough to disprove the theory altogether, right?

He switches gears and focuses on Ultra Wormholes, but that inevitably forces him to face another harrowing possibility; the cause for Lillie’s and Lusamine’s disappearance could be linked to them potentially falling into an Ultra Wormhole into a different timeline or reality. 

It made sense, as it would explain not only how they disappeared so suddenly, but also how nobody was able to understand or find out what had happened to them. But it wasn’t the mere thought of this possibility that shattered Sun into a million pieces. It was the fact that he had never thought to even  _ consider  _ it to be a probable cause to begin with. 

How could Sun not have thought of this sooner? After all that time spent helping Burnet out with her research and learning so much about Ultra Wormholes and Ultra Space, the infinite potential worlds, and the realities beyond our own. After he literally went through a Wormhole to fight Lusamine in Nihilego’s very own world. After everything he’s experienced for himself, how could he not have put two and two together? Lillie’s disappearance, by all accounts, was impossible. Ultra Wormholes  _ are  _ the impossible. 

Did Lusamine take her Nihilego with her to Kanto? Or did Wicke or the International Police confiscate it? They must have, right? Surely nobody would have allowed Lusamine to take that dangerous Pokemon with her when she left?

Why couldn’t Sun  _ remember  _ if someone had confiscated Nihilego or not?

The not-remembering was tearing him to shreds. Tears began to swell within his eyes and it was only a matter of time before thick droplets fell onto the page and smeared his writing.

Had Lillie been scared? Had she called out for help, begged for someone to save her, only for her cries to have fallen on deaf ears? Did it hurt? Or was she gone before she could even register anything? 

Was she trapped somewhere, wondering when someone would find her and bring her home? Was she praying for Sun to save her like he’d promised her he always would?

His throat was burning like he had swallowed molten lava. His heart kept thrashing around in his chest and his breathing was becoming so shallow and quick that he could feel himself start to become lightheaded. 

A sob tears its way out of him, as his body begins to shake uncontrollably. He knows what’s happening to him. Knows what he should do to calm himself down, but for the life of him he just  _ can’t _ . He felt as though he was being crushed beneath a Wailord and each sob that escaped him brought this intense pain along with it. 

_ You should have done something sooner! _ , a merciless voice screams from within.  _ You should have found her and brought her home. You should have  _ **_saved her!_ **

He doesn’t register his door being thrown open. Doesn’t register a voice calling out to him. The only thing he does register are the strong, yet gentle arms wrapping themselves around him and rubbing soothing circles on his back; a hushed voice whispering sweet, calming words into his ears. 

Sun melts into his mother's embrace and clings to her like a lifeline. He doesn’t dare allow himself to think of her as anyone else. She held onto him and spoke to him just like his mother would, so therefore she  _ is  _ his mother. And right now, she was the only thing keeping Sun from falling off the deep end for good. 

“I’m right here sweetheart,” his mother reassures. “Let it all out.”

_ I couldn’t save her _ , a mantra playing over and over in his mind. “I’m sorry...I’m so sorry…” a broken record breaking past his lips like water spilling past a dam. 

His mother squeezes him closer to her, which only succeeds in making Sun cry harder, uglier, until his throat clamps shut and his eyes dry completely. 

He remains in his mother’s embrace long after his sobs died down, fearing that if let go he would break apart and fall to pieces all over again. Eventually, his mother pulls away just far enough to where she can look him in the eyes. The worry in her eyes was evident, but it was overshadowed by the loving warmth and support she sent his way. 

“Do you want to sleep next to me tonight?” she asks, gently. 

The mere suggestion would have made Sun red in the face with embarrassment, but he couldn’t deny the fact that he was grateful for the caring offer. He does ponder it for a moment before ultimately shaking his head. He already feels bad for making his mother worry. He didn’t want to trouble her more than he already has, even though he knows she wouldn’t mind in the slightest. 

“Okay sweetheart,” she says, understanding. She reaches over to where Sun had placed the holder containing his pokeballs down, picking it up and gently placing it in his hands. “But I want you to promise me you’ll at least have a Pokemon near you tonight.”

Sun agrees, examining each pokeball before settling on releasing Brionne. His starter wastes no time hopping into his lap, practically smothering him in an effort to comfort him. His arms circle around Brionne in a near vise-grip, instantly feeling a million times better having his beloved Pokemon in his arms. 

It’s enough to put his mother at ease, as well. “I’ll leave my door open in case you change your mind,” she said to him. She stands, cupping his face with both hands and placing a soft kiss to his forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replies, allowing her to tuck him and Brionne into bed. 

Sun is out the second his head hits the pillow.

***

_ “What type of flower is it?” Lillie asks.  _

_ “It’s a Oricora flower,” Sun replies, fingers brushing against the hair around his neck. He should really get a haircut. “It’s one of the flowers that allows Oricorio to change its form. Some say the Pokemon was named after the flower, while others say the flower was named after the Pokemon.” Sun shrugs his shoulders, a flashing smile stretching across his face.  _

_ “That’s so fascinating!” Lillie returns his smile just as brightly, maybe even more so. She twirls the crushed flower around in her hand. Sun was struck with the urge to call upon Rotom so it could capture Lillie in this beautiful moment.  _

_ “There’s something else,” Sun speaks up, drawing Lillie’s attention back at him. This time he sheepishly runs a hand through his hair as he says, “Oricora is actually classified as the sister flower to the, um…” he trailed off, not understanding why he was suddenly getting so nervous over nothing. Lillie pins him with a curious gaze, head tilted to one side that made her look so cute it shouldn’t have been fair.  _

_ She steps closer to him and uses a hand to tilt his head up to meet her gaze. She lets him go to take one of his hands and entwined them with hers, movements as natural as breathing, before asking, “The sister flower to what?” _

_ The seamless gesture effectively erased any traces of nervousness within him. Before, when they first bridged the gap from friends to something more, Sun would always find himself losing his breath or feeling his heart race just by being near Lillie’s presence. But not anymore. Now, it was all second nature. Now, Sun couldn’t see himself being anywhere else other than by her side.  _

_ It’s with that natural ease that he answers. “To the Lily,” and if he didn’t feel as though he were basking on cloud nine, the way Lillie’s eyes shone after the statement certainly cemented the feeling. “It represents a bond of life and love; a keepsake to flourish for many years to come.” _

_ He lets go of Lillie’s hand to wrap it around the one still holding the crushed flower. “Though, I guess the second meaning doesn’t apply to this one.” _

_ She giggles. “I’m sure it’s the thought that counts as the true keepsake.” _

_ Sun can’t help, but laugh with her as he touches their foreheads together. “You’re probably right. As usual.” _

_ “Wow, I guess Gladion was right. It did take you longer to figure that out then I thought.” _

_ “Hey!” _

_ They both erupt in a fit of laughter. The action left Sun feeling light and happier than he ever remembers feeling. He pulls back just enough to see the sunlight reflecting off of Lillie’s eyes.  _

_ “I love it Sun,” she whispers; a promise the rest of the world couldn’t have. “I really love it.” _

_ What happens next is destiny, as Sun brings his free hand to caress Lillie’s cheek before closing the distance between them.  _

***

Sun wakes to a tear-stained pillow and an ache weighing his heart down like a stone. He scoops up a still fast-asleep Brionne and trudged his way to the bedroom next door, gently placing his starter next to Meowth before climbing into his mother’s bed and curling up at her side. 

She wraps him up in her arms without a word, never letting his shaking form go for the rest of the night. 


	11. Chapter 11

Cha caws proudly as Kahuna Hala’s last Pokemon falls, bringing about a swift end to the grand trial. Sun can hear Lillie and Hau cheer for him as he bends down to celebrate with his partner, patting it on the head and even earning a high five in return. He can tell just how much Cha loves the limelight and attention by the way it puffs out its chest and spreads its wings with pride. Sun was definitely going to treat his partner to some well deserved pokebeans and maybe even let Rotom take a celebratory picture of them afterwards. 

With one last pat, he recalls Cha. Hala lets out a hearty laugh. “The results come as no surprise to me,” he says, a wide smile spreading across his face. “What a fine trainer and what fine Pokemon, too!”

A resounding cheer from the deity Tapu Koko overtakes the cheers from the crowd, signaling its agreement and pleasure for witnessing a spectacle of a battle. 

Hala readily hands over the Fightinium Z. Sun makes a mental note to give this Z-Crystal to Cha as he watches the Kahuna show him the necessary pose that’s required to unleash the crystal’s special move. “With this victory, you have cleared all of the trials of Melemele Island, the first of Alola’s Islands!” Sun can practically feel the warmth of pride coming from Hala’s voice as he bestows upon the trainer the Melemele stamp. 

“The moon in the daytime...the sun at night…,” Hala poetically recites. “Now to see if you can pour your heart into something that cannot be seen but is very much real.”

Sun smiles at the words. A flicker of a memory passes gently through his mind; Hau standing in the exact same spot Hala is now, taller and wiser, with the Kahuna coat billowing about him as he recites these very same words to the next generation of trainers. A charming passage for trail-goers to carry with them as they carve out an adventure and legacy for themselves. He glances towards his best friend, who was looking back at him with his trademark grin and two thumbs up. 

Illima shows up not a moment later and congratulates Sun on his victory. The Captain goes to stand next to Hala and Kukui before addressing the trainer once again. “Before you venture off to the next island, I wanted to give you an update about the intruders you brought to our attention. I have done my utmost to search the island for their whereabouts, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find them.” 

The distraught expression on his face must be apparent, as Illima raises a hand as though to ward off any further disappointment. “Be that as it may, I give you my word that I’ll continue searching the island for any remaining trace of them. With the help of the Kahuna and Professor, the three of us were able to send word to the other Island Captains and Kahunas.” He places his raised hand on his hip, sending a reassuring smile Sun’s way. “You have nothing to worry about!”

“You were right to bring this to our attention Ray,” Hala speaks up. “Thank you for entrusting this in our care. It brings me great joy to see the love you have for Alola, even though you are still relatively new here.”

“I’d say he’s pretty much a natural Alolan already!” Kukui joins in with a good-natured laugh. “You’re really something, aren’t ya cousin?”

The three men continue to sing praise to the young trainer, all the while remaining completely oblivious to Sun’s inner turmoil at their words. His fingers tightened their grip around the straps of his backpack, but he’s able to keep his smiling facade from slipping. For all the good it does him. 

“You should go let your mom know what you’re up to cousin,” Kukui’s voice brings Sun’s attention back to him. “When you’re done with that, head on down to the Marina in Hau’oli City, yeah!”

His mother. Sun has to swallow down the dread swirling and bubbling up within him. The morning had been staled with discomfort and awkwardness, which was to be expected given his breakdown last night. His mother hadn’t pushed the subject, and Sun wasn’t sure whether he was relieved by that or not. It was painfully obvious that she wanted to, though. He could practically see the concerning questions latched to the tip of her tongue, ready to spill forth in a heartbeat if given the chance. 

Normally, Sun would have no problem pouring his heart and soul out to his mother. After all, she-and by extension Moon-were his anchors; have been for the longest time and always will be. They were there for him with open arms and listening ears as he finally broke down and recounted all the horrors he had endured during his encounter with Lusamine and everything that followed afterwards. They comforted him when all of the scars and traumas that were carved into his very being by the Aether President found their way back to him, refusing to cease their endless torment. They were there for him through it all and never once batted an eye or complained. 

As the eighteen year old that he mentally is, Sun knows better than to bottle things up and push people who are genuinely trying to help him away. But, for some reason, trying to apply that to his eleven year old physical self was proving to be as successful as trying to teach an old Granbull new tricks. He doesn’t even know if those two even correlate in a cohesive manner or not. 

Because waking up with puffy red eyes and hearing  _ Good morning Ray _ was all it seemingly took for unease to cackle through his skin and his breathing to stutter within his lungs all over again. 

After much effort, he was finally able to convince his mother that he was able enough to challenge Hala today and complete the grand trial. He’s quick to gather his things, unceremoniously shoving his notepad to the bottom of his backpack. A speck of dread rolls through him at the thought of his mother having sneaked a peak at his notes during sometime while he was still asleep. Sun prays dearly that she didn’t and he could continue to keep her in ignorant bliss for just awhile longer. 

“We should totally hit the shopping district while we’re in Hau’oli, too!” Hau says, drawing Sun’s attention back to the present day. 

Ah, there it was. The perfect excuse for him to conveniently ignore his internal crisis. “Sure. let’s go.”

It’s comical how wide Hau’s eyes become at the response, but true to his nature, his best friend is quick to jump right back into the flow. Throwing his arms behind his head, he laughs before turning towards Lillie. “You should come too, Lillie!”

The sudden invitation catches Lillie by surprise, though Sun isn’t exactly sure why. She was going to be joining them on their trip to Akala Island anyways, right? It should’ve been a no-brainer by this point that wherever they go, she goes too. 

“It’ll be fun,” he says, trying to alleviate any worries on her part. It’s only after becoming the center of her attention that he realizes this is the first time he’s properly spoken to her today. He can’t deny the fact that a part of him had been avoiding her, but he should have known that strategy was doomed to fail from the very beginning. No matter what goes on in his mind or heart, he can never run from Lillie for too long. 

Her gaze is hesitant yet searching as she looks at him. Sun doesn’t know if she finds what she was searching for or if it were merely his words, but Lillie’s expression evens out into a friendly smile. “Okay,” she finally says. “I’ll go.”

That puts a smile on both the trainer’s faces. Hau jumps in joy, gearing up to head straight for Hau’oli before a voice stops him.

“Now, wait just a second Hau.” Kukui calls out. “You still need to face the Kahuna."

Hau skids comically to a stop and turns around. “Oh, that’s right!” He laughs to himself, as he darts straight towards his grandfather. “Come on Tutu! I’m ready to face you!”

Hala laughs, wasting no time leading Hau over to the stage. The latter calls out to Sun and Lillie, saying they can go on ahead and that he’ll catch up with them once he’s done. 

They comply and begin heading towards Hau’oli City. 

***

Hau has always been a sporadic shopper and age does nothing to change this fact whatsoever. He wastes no time dragging Sun to the store after his victory against Hala and Sun just considers it a blessing he was able to quickly buy a new notebook before Lillie and him are inevitably dragged away again when Hau becomes bored two seconds into his shopping. They make a quick stop at the Alola Photo Club to take celebratory pictures with their Pokemon. Brionne poses and cheers for the cameras as though it were born for the spotlight. Cha and Rockruff both wrestle for the chance to be the first one to take a picture with their trainer, which makes Sun smile fondly at their antics. He has to admit that this was a really fun idea and wonders why nobody ever thought about opening up a photo club like this back during his proper time. Maybe he could put in a word to Hala or Illima to start something like this up once he gets back. 

The thought makes him pause momentarily. Sun’s never doubted that he’d eventually find a way to get back to his proper time, and he still believes in it firmly even after the sudden bombshell he’s come to discover about his situation. However, according to Professor Burnet’s observations and many trials, a successful attempt at returning a Faller back to their original timeline has been practically nonexistent. They just weren’t at the level where they could accurately pinpoint a specific timeline, nor did they have a sure-fire way of attempting a safe travel through the Ultra Space. 

His eyes flicker over to Lillie’s bag. They had a minor incident where Nebby had wanted to join in on the fun, so it snuck out of the bag and photo-bombed Hau’s pictures. It was endearing and helped distract Sun from his thoughts, but now there’s no running from the daunting fact that Nebby was his only key back home. The little Legendary was the one who put him in this predicament in the first place, after all.

But one of the reasons why Professor Burnet’s attempts at returning Fallers back to their original timeline were unsuccessful was due to the fact that when asking Solgaleo for its assistance in opening up wormholes and guiding the Fallers back home, Solgaleo simply refused to comply. Sun never understood what made the Legendary so adamant in its refusal, but no matter how many times he tried to persuade Solgaleo, the end result remained the same.

They had reluctantly came to the conclusion that perhaps something might’ve been interfering with Solgaleo’s powers that prevented it from opening up wormholes or that the idea in general unsettled the great beast. 

But what if it was something else? Solgaleo looked like it had been in a great deal of pain or panic when it seemingly lost control and tore open the rift in space, causing Sun to fall through it. What if the reason Solgaleo had always been so against opening up wormholes was because it somehow physically caused the Legendary harm? 

The very notion of it seemed bizarre and farfetched to Sun. Solgaleo was a  _ Legendary _ , for crying out loud. Surely if a mere Ultra Beast could accomplish it, then Solgaleo, who had equal to or greater power than them, should have no trouble accomplishing it as well.

Sun felt like there was a piece of the puzzle he was missing, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t wrap his head around what that piece could possibly be. He isn’t given any more time to ponder over it because a sudden noise draws his attention back to the other occupants of the room. 

He’s greeted to the sight of Nebby, once again out of the bag, playing with Hau’s now-evolved Torracat and Brionne. Hau’s Pichu was also out and playing with Cha and Rockruff, the former doing epic poses and causing his small audience to cheer in delight. Barks, meows, and pews all filled the room as Lillie attempts to quietly scold Nebby for its mischievousness while Hau laughs for no particular reason other than just being overall jovial. 

A smile spreads across his face before he knows it and he finds that it’s a genuine one. A pleasant warmth fills him as he continues to watch his dearest friends in silence, but with the light feeling comes an ache. Ever since waking up here, Sun has felt as though he’s been swimming through molasses, trying to do everything he can just to keep his head above the surface. Now, after the breakdown he had last night, he feels as though he’s left dangling from a thin wire, barely tethered to anything solid that could keep him from being blown away by the next breeze that passes him by. The heaviness that’s been lurking in the crevasses of his mind and hiding beneath the covers of his soul didn’t exactly disappear or lighten either. Instead, it appears as though they had found solid footing and were now pressing against Sun in a way he could no longer go on ignoring. 

‘ _ You just need an anchor, cousin! _ ’ Kukui’s words passed through his mind. It feels like the words were spoken to him a lifetime ago. ‘ _ Something to keep you from getting lost in your head and to remind you that you’re not alone. Not now, not ever. _ ’

“Hey Rotom,” Sun calls, giving his pokedex a smile when it appears. “Could you take a picture of everyone? Don’t get their attention. I want it to be a secret.”

“You got it, Zzzzt-zzzzrt!” it says, taking the snapshot. Sun admires the photo and thinks it’s nothing short of perfect. 

He found his anchor in the form of his friends and family. He found his anchor in  _ Lillie _ . Even though so much has changed, there’s no reason that couldn’t be true for this reality too. 

“Al-right!” Hau says, rather loudly. “Now it’s time for our next stop! Akala Island, here we come!”

Hau and him returned their Pokemon to their respective pokeballs, and after much loving hassle, Lillie finally succeeds in getting Nebby to return to the bag. It’s just as they step foot outside the Photo Club that they run into Kukui. 

“Good timing, Ray and Hau!” Kukui greets. “I’ve just got the old girl all ready to set sail.”

“Oh yeah, about that Professor,” Hau speaks up, “I was thinking that I’d really like to head to Akala Island with Mantine! And I want to see Ray take a shot at Mantine Surfing, too!”

Sun could feel his eyebrows crease in confusion as he looked at Hua, who was giving him a blinding smile in return. What was he talking about when he said Mantine Surfing? Had Hau caught a Mantyke or something without him knowing? Though if he had, wouldn’t he have shown it off during a battle or just now while they were taking pictures with their teams? 

He voices his confusion and is rewarded with a laugh from Hau before he explains that the Mantine from Big Wave Beach could be used to surf to the other islands.

“Trust me,” Hau injects before Sun could say anything. “You’re gonna love it!”

***

Sun did, in fact, love the Mantine Surfing. 

It was absolutely exhilarating. He remembers how he used to hear small whispers from the main beaches of every island bring up the idea of taming wild Mantine as a means for entertainment and transportation, but unfortunately, those ideas never saw the light of day. He now knows that this was something he definitely needed to get started up as soon as he gets back. Surfing on the waves really got his blood pumping and even though he fell into the water a few times, he was still grinning like an idiot by the time he arrived on Heahea Beach. 

He grants himself a moment of reprieve; a moment to just breathe in the salty air and take solace in the fact that he had finally made it to Akala Island. He always had a soft spot for Heahea City, in particular. This city was founded by trainers from both the Kanto and Johto region, so it had that sense of familiarity and acceptance that greatly helped Sun when he first moved to Alola. There were even some locals here who spoke Kantonian, making his mother and Moon feel at home here as well. Even when he’s older, he still finds himself coming back to this city simply for the sake of walking around and reminiscing. 

It also housed the Dimensional Research Lab, which Sun also spent a great deal of time at helping Professor Burnet with her research or just to visit her. Now, it was his number one priority. After his sudden revelation, he knew he could no longer afford to prolong the inevitable. No matter how crazy Professor Burnet or Kukui will think him to be, Sun was going to come clean and tell them the truth. He needed their help if he had any hope of returning back to his proper time. 

Hau and him meet up with Kukui and Lillie just as they arrive in Akala on the Professor’s sailboat, which still manages to keep operating even seven years down the line by some cosmic miracle. They’re shortly met by Akala Island’s Kahuna Olivia and Captain Mallow, still as headstrong and friendly as Sun remembers them being respectively. Appearance wise, they don’t change much in the future. Olivia still holds her position as Kahuna and as an Elite Four member, but Mallow has since retired from being a trial Captain, dedicating her life to her very successful family restaurant. 

It isn’t long until they’re left to their own devices, with Hau claiming to go stake out the nearest Malasada restaurant and Lillie opting to do a bit of shopping. 

“I’ll come with you,” Sun says, catching Lillie off guard yet again. 

He doesn’t know why she’s suddenly become so apprehensive or awkward around him, but it causes a pit of unease and guilt to open up within him. He didn’t mean to cause her any discomfort by his actions or words, but Lillie has always been one to shy away the moment someone acts distant around her, thinking to herself that she somehow caused said person to begin acting that way. Sun hates that he’s made Lillie feel this way. He knows his behavior would be taken the wrong way without proper context, so he swears to fix that and never again make Lillie feel as though anything that has been going on with him was somehow her fault. 

For starters, he needs to clear the air between them. “Lillie,” he begins, making sure he has her full attention before he continues. “I know I was acting a bit...weird yesterday, but I want you to know that it had nothing to do with you. Promise.” 

She seems surprised by the statement, as if not expecting him to bring up yesterday’s events at all. Sun doesn’t blame her for thinking that. She begins to nervously fiddle with the strap of her bag. “I just thought, um, I had s-said something you didn’t like because you got so quiet and well…” she trails.

“I’m sorry,” Sun says again. He doesn’t know what else to say at this point. 

There’s a moment where Lillie simply looks at him, like he was a mystery she was trying to piece together. She had always been so intuitive, whether or not she believed it herself. 

“When I mentioned that story about Oricorio…” Lillie speaks up hesitantly, “you got this strange look in your eye.” Her eyes soften along with her voice. “You looked really sad. Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Sun immediately says, and Arceus, why did his voice have to sound so strained all of a sudden? “No, you didn’t do anything wrong.”  _ You never did anything wrong _ , he thinks but doesn’t say aloud. He takes a deep breath to steady his nerves. “It just reminded me of...someone.”

Lillie tilts her head slightly in curiosity, still gripping the strap of her bag firmly. He could practically see the multitude of questions flowing through her mind. All the things she wants to ask, but not sure if she should. There’s a part of Sun that prays she doesn’t. He wouldn’t know how to answer them without mostly likely breaking down again. 

“That person must be special…” she says so quietly that if Sun hadn’t been standing so close to her, he probably would have missed it. “If they made you look like that.”

_ More special to me than the whole world.  _ “Yeah…” Sun replies, voice struggling to push past the lump in his throat. “She is.”

Her eyes widen at that, and it makes Sun remember the dream he had. Lillie, older yet just as beautiful, looking back at him with those same mint green eyes and holding a crushed Oricora flower in her hand. He couldn’t hold her gaze.

“Let’s go shopping.” It comes out in a rush, but his message gets across. All Lillie does is nod, and follows after him. 

***

The first thing Sun does upon entering the store is buy a new hat. 

He nearly wept with joy the second he placed the brand new black snapback on his head. If he had to go one more day wearing that stupid hat that kept getting blown away by the wind, he would have lost his mind. Thankfully, the store had a near identical hat to the one he owned. Call it an exaggeration, but wearing a snapback made it feel as though a small portion of his old life had returned to him. He wouldn’t be taking it off anytime soon. 

He manages to get Lillie to mess around and try on different types of contacts with him. They decided to stick with their natural eye color, but it was still a fun experience nevertheless. Rotom secretly took pictures without being told to, and after looking through them, Sun couldn’t find it within himself to scold his pokedex. Lillie and him would do this sort of thing all the time in the future. Even if it wasn’t entirely the same, Sun’s happy he was able to recreate some of the good memories he’s had with her. 

He buys a Surfing Pikachu tank-top on a whim before exiting the store. Maybe a change in style is what he needs to lift his mood from the trenches he’s been digging himself into. 

Lillie parts ways with him shortly after, stating that she was meeting someone at the nearby hotel. It did make Sun curious as to who she was meeting up with, but he decides not to question her. It gives him the chance to make his way to the Dimensional Research Lab without anyone stopping him, at least. 

They bid farewell to each other, but before Sun could properly make his way to the lab, a voice stopped him in his tracks. 

“Stop right there!”

Sun groaned internally. What cruel fate was trying to stop him this time?

He’s completely surprised to see none other than Dexio and Sina approaching him. Sun had completely forgotten that he’d run into these two here in Heahea. Honestly, the last time he saw them was when he traveled to Kalos but that was still a few years ago. He got along great with them, especially Dexio. 

“Ah ha ha! We didn’t mean to surprise you. You must be doing your island challenge,” Dexio says, voice thick with a Kalosian accent. Sun tried to learn the language, but he could never quite hone it down. They both introduce themselves with very flamboyant poses, which causes laughter to rumble in his chest. Gosh, it really felt great seeing them again. He makes a mental note to contact them more once he gets back. 

“We’re here seeing the sights in Alola,” says Dexio. “Its unique tradition of island challenge. It’s pretty fascinating, I’ve got to say.” Dexio had always wanted to come back and visit Alola, even saying that he’ll drag Professor Sycamore with them too. Both him and Sina really do look like they could belong here. 

“Oh, I’ve got an idea!” Sina suddenly speaks up. “You and Dexio should battle!”

Completely out of nowhere, but hey, that’s the name of the game, right? Meeting a complete stranger, then challenging them to a battle without even getting to know them properly. 

Dexio at least has the decency to ask Sun, even though it’s clear he isn’t opposed to the idea at all. Sun readily agrees, just to play off of nostalgia’s sake if nothing else. 

Sun hasn’t battled Dexio all that much, given that the Kalos assistant is typically very laid-back and goes with the flow. However, Sun knows from personal experience that Dexio isn’t afraid to throw down if the opportunity presents himself. Many of their grand adventures in Kalos could attest to that. 

There was something about fighting Dexio that felt refreshing to Sun. All of the Captains and Kahunas had a template to their team’s structures and rehearsed rhythm to their battle performance. He knows how the island challenge system works. Knows Hau’s team as innately as he knows his own. 

He doesn’t remember at all how Dexio -  _ this  _ Dexio - battles. Doesn’t remember his team or strategy. The Kalos assistant throws out a Mime Jr. and Sun decides to just have fun and sends out Rockruff. 

Rockruff can more than hold its own and makes quick work of Mime Jr. The Espeon that’s sent after puts up more of a fight, but the end result still has Rockruff as the victor. His partner lets out a small howl before immediately jumping straight into his arms, burying its face into his chest in affection. Sun’s heart swells as he showers his Pokemon in praise before returning it to its pokeball. 

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” Dexio says, good-naturedly. “That’s what I expected from a trainer doing the island challenge.” Sina simply smiles and offers to heal his Pokemon, which Sun accepts. 

“This battle reminded me of us in the past....and that group of five young trainers,” Dexio says, his voice coming off quieter during the last part as though he were reminiscing more to himself. Sun knows he’s referring to Serena and her group of friends, but it still piques his curiosity nonetheless. Neither Dexio nor Sina have ever mentioned their past trainer life in much detail, making him wonder what had lent them to ultimately becoming professor’s assistants themselves. 

“We’ll be taking our leave now,” Sina says. “Bon voyage!”

And with that, they’re gone. Sun still can’t help from smiling as he watches the two leave. If only he could stop them and talk about some of their research together, but alas, he’ll just have to wait until he has returned to his proper time. 

Speaking of returning, it’s high time he makes his way over to the Dimensional Research Lab. Hopefully, the powers that be allow him safe passage and nobody tries to interrupt him on his way there. 


End file.
